science fantasyn.
/ˌsʌɪəns ˈfantəsi/, U.S. /ˌsaɪəns ˈfæn(t)əsi/ 1. = science fiction n. 3; (also) a work in this genre. Now historical and rare.
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society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > narrative or story > science fiction, etc. > [noun]
scientific fiction1876
science fiction1898
scientifiction1916
S.F.1929
science fantasy1931
STF1931
sci-fic1952
sci-fi1955
1931 Author & Journalist Oct. 11/1 Argosy is an excellent market for science fantasy.
1939 N.Y. Times 12 Aug. 19 (heading) Paramount to Film Wells's ‘Food of the Gods’, Science Fantasy.
1943 P. S. Miller in Astounding Sci.-Fiction Dec. 67/2 ‘I read a couple of books one time, about the way I am and stuff like that. Fourth-dimension stuff. Tesseracts, and that. You ever seen it?’ I had. I've read my share of science fantasies.
1974 F. Pohl in R. Bretnor Sci. Fiction, Today & Tomorrow 22 Science fiction..published in book form..was almost never labeled science fiction. That term was reserved to the pulp magazines and, in fact, most of them even called it by other names—‘science fantasy’, or ‘stories of superscience’.
2. spec.
a. A genre of fiction that combines elements of science fiction and fantasy; (also) a work in this genre.
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1948 M. Zimmer in Startling Stories Sept. 125/2 I may say in conclusion, that Kuttner is noted for his versatility in science-fantasy such as Mask Of Circe, in pure fantasy such as Call Him Demon.
1953 Sci. Fiction Dec. 65/1 His [sc. A. Merritt's] mastery was evidenced most strongly in his tales which may be defined loosely as science-fantasies, stories which have some basis in scientific fact, but which would not qualify under any tight definition of science-fiction.
1982 B. Searles et al. Reader's Guide to Fantasy 77 Almuric, which is really of that curious hybrid genre, science fantasy. The earthly hero reaches another planet by a ‘space-transition machine’, but once there he finds it as chock full of magic and demons.
2001 R. Klaw & M. Moorcock Geek Confidential (2003) 194 I grew up reading science fantasy, Leigh Brackett and stuff like that, which, to me, is the perfect combination. You can have magic and science, throw it all in.
b. Science fiction which is characterized by the depiction of technologies generally regarded as scientifically impossible; (also) a work of this type.
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1951 G. Conklin in Possible Worlds Sci. Fiction 177 For the last story on the Solar System, one has been chosen which many people will call science fantasy rather than science fiction... It deals with a world which man, by his very nature as living matter composed of chemical bonds, will never be able to explore.
1967 R. Silverberg Voyagers in Time x Among some modern science-fiction writers, stories of time-travel are looked upon with faint disdain, because they are not really ‘scientific’. The purists prefer to place such stories in the category of science-fantasy , reserved for fiction based on ideas impossible to realize through modern technology.
1970 ‘W. Atheling’ More Issues at Hand 100 The whole point of the modern usage of the term ‘science fantasy’, it seems to me, is to define a kind of hybrid in which plausibility is specifically invoked for most of the story, but may be cast aside in patches at the author's whim and according to no visible system or principle.
2002 Telegram & Gaz. (Mass.) (Nexis) 8 Mar. c3 Science fiction consists of stories extrapolating from real science. Science fantasy doesn't let little things like ‘it's impossible’ get in the way.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, March 2014; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1931