dystopian

adjective

dys·​to·​pi·​an (ˌ)dis-ˈtō-pē-ən 

variants or less commonly dystopic

(ˌ)dis-ˈtō-pik  -ˈtä- 

: of, relating to, or being an imagined world or society in which people lead dehumanized, fearful lives : relating to or characteristic of a dystopia

a dystopian novel

A twisted romantic haunted by dystopian visions, Gibson borrows the language of science fiction and crafts doomed love stories with high-tech trappings.

—Maitland McDonagh

Dystopian visions are in a sense mythopoeic: depicting a creation myth in a future world of darkness and silence.

—Sarah Lefanu

Biotechnology is a force for good, but without adherence to the ideal of universal human equality, it opens the door to the soft tyranny of Gattaca and, ultimately the dystopian nightmare of Brave New World.

—Wesley J. Smith

Like many advances in science and technology, the dystopian implications of data mining have been described best by science-fiction writers.

—John Markoff

… Orwellian has become a word itself: an adjective denoting a dystopic world where language is cut adrift from meaning.

—Harvey A. Daniels

Letter by letter, we read of a society that seems to move from one dystopic nightmare to another …

—Simon Winchester

Examples of dystopian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Along with dystopian views of Chicago or the World Cup final’s stadium, wildfire smoke is creating dangerous conditions for people to breathe. — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 18 July 2026

The elements are brought to articulate life by director Choi Jung-kyu, who previously helmed dystopian thriller The Devil Judge. — Kayti Burt, Time, 17 July 2026

Utopia doesn’t shy away from the violence inherent in telling a dystopian story. — William Worrall, Space.com, 15 July 2026

This gripping adaptation of the Stephen King novel is about a dystopian America set in the 1970s after a second Civil War leaves the country in ruin. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 12 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

dystopian from dystopia + -an entry 2; dystopic from dystopia + -ic entry 1

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dystopian

• bupropion
• ectropion
• fallopian
• utopian
• ethiopian