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
In Edgar Wright’s adaptation of Stephen King's novel, Powell's Ben Richards is a father living in a dystopian society, unable to get a job and provide for his sick child.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025
Yet dystopian fears are impossible to shrug off, especially since the technology stands to concentrate even more wealth and power into even fewer hands.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Set in a dystopian future past, the two lovers escape to a mythical city and along the way are confronted with both terrifying figures of the unconscious and joyful memories of the past that accelerate a descent into madness.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 10 Dec. 2025
Based on Margaret Atwood’s award-winning novel of the same name, The Testaments takes place in the dystopian theocracy of Gilead.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 6 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dystopian
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Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025
Yet dystopian fears are impossible to shrug off, especially since the technology stands to concentrate even more wealth and power into even fewer hands.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Set in a dystopian future past, the two lovers escape to a mythical city and along the way are confronted with both terrifying figures of the unconscious and joyful memories of the past that accelerate a descent into madness.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 10 Dec. 2025
Based on Margaret Atwood’s award-winning novel of the same name, The Testaments takes place in the dystopian theocracy of Gilead.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 6 Dec. 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 19 Dec. 2025.
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