duneadjacent

Duneadjacent is a term used in fan communities and critical discourse to describe media, art, or cultural practices that are closely associated with Frank Herbert's Dune universe or its tropes but are not official Dune canon. The term functions as a spectrum rather than a binary: works, aesthetics, or communities that are duneadjacent borrow elements such as desert environments, spice economies, feudal politics, ecological themes, or a quasi-religious mystique, while not claiming direct connection with the original series.

Duneadjacent is a portmanteau of Dune and adjacent. Its earliest recorded usage appears in online fan communities in the 2010s, though the concept predates the term.

It is used to categorize fan fiction, art, games, fashion, and design. Examples include indie games set on desert planets with spice economies, or fashion collections that evoke Arrakis' arid climate without referencing specific characters or storylines.

It is distinct from "Dune-inspired" or "in the Dune universe." The term signals not only influences but also a sense of proximity to the Dune discourse, including its language of desert ecology, resource control, and spiritual politics.

See also: Dune, desert aesthetics, spice, Arrakis, dune-inspired.