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

As Prime Video prepares to return to the post-nuclear dystopia of Fallout, two major characters bonded over the desert wasteland. —Glenn Garner, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2025

Ultimately, the laws are based on a dystopia and wrongheaded assumption that Americans firearms for their self-defense. —Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025

The upcoming movie takes place in a near-future dystopia in which a man (Powell) must try to survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins — all while being filmed for a popular national television show. —Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025

Over the last three decades, Rick Owens has built a universe with its own fashion vernacular—a world where high fashion meets dystopia and rebellion is the ultimate form of self-expression. —Irina Grechko, Vogue, 17 Oct. 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