the type of book or story that is written about imaginary characters and events and not based on real people and facts: The book is a work of fiction and not intended as a historical account. a writer of children's fiction. C1 [ C or U ]

Fiction is generally understood as not adhering precisely to the real world, which also opens it up to various interpretations. Characters and events within a fictional work may even be set in their own context entirely separate from the known universe: an independent fictional universe.