Meanings
nounrubber science (uncountable)
- uncountableConvincing quasi-scientific explanations used in science fiction to aid the suspension of disbelief.
Origin
Coined by Norman Spinrad in his essay "Rubber Sciences", published in The Craft of Science Fiction (1976). He defined it as "pseudo-science […] made up by the writer with literary care that it not be discontinuous with the reader's realm of the possible."
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
rubber science. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rubber%20science
MLA
“rubber science.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rubber%20science. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rubber science,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rubber%20science.
Source: rubber science on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.