cinematic

Etymology

It is formed from English cinema + -ic, using the stem seen in cinematograph.^[2][3] Merriam-Webster derives it directly from the noun cinematograph,^[4][5] while Etymonline takes it from French cinématique, recorded by 1902.^[6] The same spelling, recorded in 1883, was earlier an occasional form of kinematic.^[2][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of, relating to, or suitable for films: 1912, in a North Carolina newspaper.^[2] Etymonline dates this sense to 1914,^[6] and Merriam-Webster to 1916.^[4]

Semantic evolution

From 1913, in W. D. Howells, the adjective also described things that recall the cinema, especially in their heightened drama or grand presentation,^[2] as in the cinematic feel of a video.^[7] The OED revised the entry in 2018 and added a noun, recorded from 1995: in a video game, a non-interactive filmed or animated scene that advances the story.^[2] The adverb cinematically dates from the mid-20th century.^[3]

Timeline

• 1883 – a variant spelling of kinematic (obsolete).^[2][6]
• 1912 – of or relating to films or film-making.^[2]
• 1913 – reminiscent of the cinema; dramatic, grand.^[2]
• 1995 – noun, a non-interactive scene in a video game.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of or relating to films, the cinema or cinematography: her early cinematic work.^[2][4][8]
2. Having the qualities of a film, especially drama or grandeur of presentation: The novel's final chase is almost cinematic.^[2][7]

Noun

1. In a video game, a non-interactive scene, filmed or animated, that adds drama or advances the story; a cutscene.^[2]

Word family

• cinematically
• uncinematic

Related words

• cinema
• cinematograph
• cinematography
• kinematic
• kinetic

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ Gove, Philip Babcock, ed. (1961), Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam
6. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press