Pulp Fiction Definition & Meaning

Definition

Usage

Etymology

Examples

pulp fiction American

noun

1. fiction dealing with lurid or sensational subjects, often printed on rough, low-quality paper manufactured from wood pulp.

Usage

What is pulp fiction? Pulp fiction refers to a genre of racy, action-based stories published in cheaply printed magazines from around 1900 to the 1950s, mostly in the United States.Pulp fiction gets its name from the paper it was printed on. Magazines featuring such stories were typically published using cheap, ragged-edged paper made from wood pulp. These magazines were sometimes called pulps.Pulp fiction created a breeding ground for new and exciting genres. Though the heyday of pulp fiction magazines has passed, their eye-catching covers and dramatic, fast-paced, and simple stories have left behind a legacy that can be seen in today’s movies, TV, books, and comics featuring action heroes and over-the-top villains.

Etymology

Origin of pulp fiction

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The cause of death for Peter Greene, a character actor known for playing villains in movies including “Pulp Fiction” and “The Mask,” has been revealed by New York City’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner.

From Los Angeles Times

The “Django Unchained” and “Pulp Fiction” filmmaker placed Paul Thomas Anderson’s oil drama “There Will Be Blood” at No. 5 on his list, and said specifically Dano — not his performance — was the “big, giant flaw” in the Oscar-winning film.

From Los Angeles Times

Our list of the 101 best Los Angeles movies is as sprawling as the city, and includes “Chinatown,” “Clueless,” “Blade Runner,” “Mulholland Drive,” “Heat,” “Pulp Fiction,” “The Big Lebowski” and “La La Land.”

From Los Angeles Times

Another couple chimed in: “Wasn’t he in ‘Pulp Fiction’?”

From The Wall Street Journal

I then said, “I liked you in ‘Pulp Fiction’ too.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.