dystopian
adjective
dys·to·pi·an
(ˌ)dis-ˈtō-pē-ən 
variants
or less commonly dystopic
: 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
Maitland McDonaghDystopian visions are in a sense mythopoeic: depicting a creation myth in a future world of darkness and silence.—Sarah Lefanu
Sarah LefanuBiotechnology 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
Wesley J. SmithLike many advances in science and technology, the dystopian implications of data mining have been described best by science-fiction writers.—John Markoff
John Markoff… Orwellian has become a word itself: an adjective denoting a dystopic world where language is cut adrift from meaning.—Harvey A. Daniels
Harvey A. DanielsLetter by letter, we read of a society that seems to move from one dystopic nightmare to another …—Simon Winchester
Simon WinchesterExamples of dystopian in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The film focused mainly on the core premise of Stephen King's dystopian novel of the same name.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 13 Nov. 2025
Towards the beginning of the dystopian thriller, when Glen Powell's character Ben Richards boards a train, the camera pans over some of the other passengers, one of whom is holding none other than Powell's real-life rescue pup, Brisket, in her lap.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Nov. 2025
Compared to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1987 film, Wright’s The Running Man is a more faithful adaptation of Stephen King’s (as Richard Bachman) dystopian novel of the same name.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 12 Nov. 2025
There’s something vaguely superior about most dystopian movies.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dystopian
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Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 13 Nov. 2025
Towards the beginning of the dystopian thriller, when Glen Powell's character Ben Richards boards a train, the camera pans over some of the other passengers, one of whom is holding none other than Powell's real-life rescue pup, Brisket, in her lap.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Nov. 2025
Compared to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1987 film, Wright’s The Running Man is a more faithful adaptation of Stephen King’s (as Richard Bachman) dystopian novel of the same name.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 12 Nov. 2025
There’s something vaguely superior about most dystopian movies.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dystopian
Cite this Entry
“Dystopian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dystopian. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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