speculative fiction

[ spek-yuh-luh-tiv fik-shuhn, -leytiv ]

noun

1. a broad category of fiction encompassing any story that contains imaginative, futuristic, or supernatural elements. fantasy ( def 9 ), science fiction ( def ), alternate history ( def 1 ).

speculative fiction

noun

1. a broad literary genre encompassing any fiction with supernatural, fantastical, or futuristic elements

Word History and Origins

Origin of speculative fiction¹

Coined in 1947 by Robert A. Heinlein ( def ) in his essay On the Writing of Speculative Fiction, in which he differentiates between science fiction stories that focus on fictional technologies and stories that focus on the societal impact of such technologies

Word History and Origins

Origin of speculative fiction¹

C20

Example Sentences

Images of the American military deployed in the streets against the American people as part of Trump regime’s coup are not the stuff of speculative fiction or the recent film "Civil War."

From Salon

As famed author Harlan Ellison’s collections of speculative fiction are reissued, his longtime home offers a window into his complicated soul.

From Los Angeles Times

As famed author Harlan Ellison’s collections of speculative fiction are reissued, his longtime home offers a window into his complicated soul.

From Los Angeles Times

He smiles, knowing that the mind that created this funky tableau belonged to none other than his closest friend, the eccentric author of speculative fiction, Harlan Ellison.

From Los Angeles Times

This theme draws upon the expansive use of the word “queer”—as a verb, along with the rich history of speculative fiction created by and for LGBTQ+ people.

From Seattle Times