urban fantasy

noun

: a genre of imaginative fiction featuring supernatural characters or elements in an urban setting
… a sub-genre that has become increasingly popular—urban fantasy. A number of authors have recently told stories of elves and other fairy folk coming to our mundane world, usually setting up shop not in the wooded groves of the past but in crowded modern cities.William Marden, The Orlando (Florida) Sentinel, 26 Nov. 2000
also : a work of urban fantasy
It's an elaborate urban fantasy about sisters Makeda and Abby—the offspring of a human mother and benevolent demigod. Mindy Farabee, The Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2013

Word History

First Known Use

1978, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of urban fantasy was in 1978

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Dictionary Entries Near urban fantasy

Cite this Entry

“Urban fantasy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/urban%20fantasy. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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