dystopia

noun

dys·​to·​pia (ˌ)dis-ˈtō-pē-ə 

1

: an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives

There's almost a flavor of science fiction to the scenes Chilson describes, as though he were giving us a glimpse into a 21st-century dystopia of mad egoism and hurtling hulks of metal.

—Adam Goodheart

Over the course of the movie, the late-60's ideal of togetherness turns into a dystopia of violence, revulsion and finally death.

—John Leland

2

: anti-utopia sense 2

writing a dystopia

… leaping across the century to the 1990's to attempt a dystopia about the disintegration of Australian democracy into startling, irreversible despotism.

—Pearl K. Bell

Examples of dystopia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The film, as per the press notes, redefines human fears in the face of apocalypse in a contemporary dystopia that puts Black and Indigenous characters at the center of a story about people defending their land from those who would kill them for it without a second thought. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 3 July 2025

To experts, what doesn’t yet work on Romanian TV is genre, especially horror, sci-fi and dystopia, since the programming largely responds to the needs and constraints of primetime television. —Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 21 June 2025

Straddling American, European, and Japanese influences, Pope’s edgy style is unmistakable: dynamic, lushly inked, and suffused with themes of rebellion, dystopia and urban decay. —Rob Salkowitz, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025

The libertarian dystopia being tested in our country is one where markets rule and the vulnerable are left to die. —Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

dys- + -topia (in utopia)

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dystopia

• amblyopia
• cornucopia
• hyperopia
• atropia
• cecropia
• diplopia
• myopia
• utopia
• hypermetropia

Kids Definition

dystopia

noun

dys·​to·​pia

(ˌ)dis-ˈtō-pē-ə

: an imaginary place where people are unhappy and usually afraid because they are not treated fairly

also : a work of literature about such a place

dystopian

-ən

adjective

Medical Definition

dystopia

noun

dys·​to·​pia dis-ˈtō-pē-ə 

: malposition of an anatomical part

dystopic

-ˈtō-pik  -ˈtäp-ik 

adjective