Soft science fiction

Soft science fiction, or soft SF, soft sci-fi, or is a category of science fiction with two different definitions, in contrast to hard science fiction. It explores the "soft" sciences (e.g. psychology, political science, sociology), as opposed to the "hard" sciences (e.g. physics, astronomy, biology). It can also refer to science fiction which prioritizes human emotions over scientific accuracy or plausibility.

Soft science fiction of either type is often more concerned with depicting speculative societies and relationships between characters, rather than realistic portrayals of speculative science or engineering. The term first appeared in the late 1970s and is attributed to Australian literary scholar Peter Nicholls.