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

Amid dystopia, soft-shoe, and a life story told in reverse, Hamill’s character, Albie, believes that answers can be found in the night sky—and also in numbers. —Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 23 June 2025

The performances of Comer, Williams and Fiennes give 28 Years Later a soulful core that was also a distinguishing factor in the 2002 original, a testament to the endurance of humanity even in the darkest dystopias. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2025

But a vampire boyfriend for Bella and gladiatorial combat in a totalitarian dystopia for Katniss—and ultimate wind-in-the-hair domestic bliss for both—leave the current social realities of teen life behind. —Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 6 June 2025

In the 1930s, when people all over Europe were refusing to believe the Nazis’ genocidal intent, British novelist Katharine Burdekin published Swastika Night, a dystopia in which fascists keep women like cattle. —David Renton may 12, Literary Hub, 12 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