offworld adv.

away from Earth, or any place treated within a given fictional context as the native world; on or towards another world or planet

SF Encyclopedia


  • 1943 C. L. Moore Judgment Night in Astounding Science-Fiction Aug. 11/2 page image C. L. Moore bibliography

    The emperor was silent, looking at her from under his brows. After a slightly uncomfortable pause, the girl turned away. ‘I'm leaving,’ she said briefly. ‘Where?’ ‘Off-world.’

  • 1950 A. Coppel Rebel of Valkyr in Planet Stories Fall 8/1 Alfred Coppel

    Landor ignored the thrust. ‘Where do you go now, Valkyr?’ ‘Off-world.’ ‘Of course,’ Landor smiled thinly, his eyebrows arching over pale, shrewd eyes. ‘Off-world.’

  • 1955 A. Norton Star Guard (1973) 49 Andre Norton

    Nature had provided him with a coat of thick curly hair, close in texture to the wool of a sheep, from which came a pungent, oily odor only apparent to those from off world.

  • 1961 A. Norton Catseye (1962) 7 Andre Norton

    He could try to exist without subcitizenship and a work permit, haunting the Casual Labour Centre to compete with too many of his fellows for the very limited crumbs of employment; he could somehow raise the stiff entrance fee and buy his way into the strictly illegal but flourishing and perilous Thieves' Guild; or he could sign on as contract labour and be shipped off world in deep freeze with no beforehand knowledge of his destination or work.

  • 1970 A. Norton Dread Companion 16 Andre Norton

    In any event, I returned to the crèche well enough pleased with the bargain Lazk Volk had aided me to, prepared to cut ties with my old life and lift off-world to a new.

  • 1975 M. Z. Bradley Heritage of Hastur iii. 40 Marion Zimmer Bradley bibliography

    The law provides that before you, who are heir to d Domain, undertake any such risky task as going offworld, you must provide an heir to your Domain.

  • 1982 S. Shwartz Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Ethic of Freedom in T. Staicar Feminine Eye (1982) vii. 83

    Her choice has created more pain for her: honor the oath and kill Haldane; break the oath and flee offworld to escape the vengeance of the Amazons.

  • 1982 A. Cole & C. Bunch Sten (1990) 16 Allan Cole Chris Bunch bibliography

    Below The Eye was the cargo loading area, generally reserved for the Company’s own ships. Independent traders docked offworld.

  • 1983 M. Z. Bradley Thendara House (1991) iii. 44 Marion Zimmer Bradley bibliography

    Only when I was living offworld.

  • 1989 J. McDevitt Talent for War 64 Jack McDevitt

    ‘Do you know where he went?’… ‘Off-world…Somewhere. But he'll be back.’

  • 1991 M. Weiss King's Test i.iii.24 Margaret Weis bibliography

    At least the next time I stole it I took it off-world.

  • 1997 B. Hambly Star Wars: Planet of Twilight (1998) 385 Barbara Hambly

    He would be back to this world, he knew: to bring back the Guardians, when those who went offworld to form the droch-killing apparatus returned.

  • 1998 K. W. Jeter Star Wars: Mandalorian Armor 46 K. W. Jeter

    The ship’s engines trailed fire as it headed off-world.

  • 1998 E. Moon Rules of Engagement (1999) 184 Elizabeth Moon

    She had taken her argument to the Aunts' Gossip, where her desire to go offworld was quickly approved—she was too intelligent by far to fare well in the local marriage market.

  • 2002 J. E. Czerneda To Trade Stars 77 Julie E. Czerneda

    On my order, the Council stayed away from Acranam’s affairs, beyond ordering any Choosers be sent offworld to protect their remaining unChosen.

  • 2002 J. E. Czerneda To Trade Stars 424 Julie E. Czerneda

    Unless Council had moved them offworld already, she thought suddenly, trying to calculate the date.

  • 2019 Y. H. Lee Dragon Pearl i. 7 Yoon Ha Lee bibliography

    I’d never been off-world myself, although I’d often dreamed of it. This man might have visited dozens of worlds for his job, even the government seat at the Pearled Halls, and I envied him for it.


Research requirements

antedating 1943

Earliest cite

C.L. Moore, 'Judgment Night'

Research History
Mike Christie submitted a cite from a 1984 reprint of Andre Norton's 1970 "Dread Companion"; Dave Langford verified the cite in a 1970 edition.
Douglas Winston submitted a cite from a 1990 reprint of Allan Cole and Chris Bunch's 1982 "Sten".
Douglas Winston submitted a 2002 cite from Julie Czerneda's "To Trade the Stars".
Douglas Winston submitted a cite from a 1998 reprint of Barbara Hambly's 1997 "Planet of Twilight".
Douglas Winston submitted a 1998 cite from K.W. Jeter's "The Mandalorian Armor".
Douglas Winston submitted a cite from a 1999 reprint of Elizabeth Moon's 1998 "Rules of Engagement".
Michael Dolbear submitted a cite from a reprint of Andre Norton's 1961 "Catseye"; Mike Christie verified the cite in a 1962 edition.
Oxford found a 1955 example in Andre Norton's (writing as "North") "Sargasso of Space", and verified it in the first edition.
Douglas Winston submitted a cite from a 1973 reprint of Andre Norton's 1955 "Star Guard".
Douglas Winston submitted a 1977 cite from Alan Dean Foster's "The End of the Matter".
Douglas Winston submitted a 1989 cite from Jack McDevitt's "A Talent For War".
Douglas Winston submitted a cite from a reprint of Harry Harrison's "Deathworld"; Mike Christie verified it in the 1960 first magazine appearance.
Douglas Winston submitted a 1996 cite from Lawrence Watt-Evans' "The Reign of the Brown Magician".
Douglas Winston submitted a 2000 cite from Rick Shelley's "Colonel".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1950 cite from Alfred Coppel's "The Rebel of Valkyr".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1943 cite from Catherine L. Moore's 'Judgment Night'.
Ben Ostrowsky submitted a 2019 cite from Yoon Ha Lee.

Added to the OED in March 2004 with an earliest date of 1955.

Last modified 2021-03-31 14:57:49
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.