Meanings
nounsteamfunk (uncountable)
- uncountableliteratureA subgenre of science fiction that combines elements of steampunk with a focus on Black culture and Afrofuturism.
By reimagining the past, Nisi Shawl’s steamfunk novel “Everfair” soars towards a feminist, afrofuturist vision of liberational technology.
2016 November 19, Ida Yoshinaga, Lynette James, “Labors of Hope and Liberation: Nisi Shawl’s Steamfunk Novel “Everfair””, in Los Angeles Review of Books
Origin
Blend of steampunk + funk. Popularized by the 2013 short story anthology Steamfunk! co-edited by Milton Davis and Balogun Ojetade.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
steamfunk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/steamfunk
MLA
“steamfunk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/steamfunk. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “steamfunk,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/steamfunk.
Source: steamfunk on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.