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 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
Ars Technica: Your AI take is that neither the dystopian view of sentient AI or the utopian view is necessarily correct.
—ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2025
The movie has cast the younger version of Haymitch Abernathy, the beloved character that Woody Harrelson portrays in several of the films based on Suzanne Collins' dystopian novels, reps for the film announced Wednesday.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Based on Suzanne Collins' 2025 dystopian book of the same name, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping revisits the world of Panem 24 years before the events of the first movie.
—Jordana Comiter, People.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Its publication in 2008 launched a whole dystopian subgenre and became emblematic of the rising prominence of teen books.
—Charlie Jane Anders, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dystopian
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ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2025
The movie has cast the younger version of Haymitch Abernathy, the beloved character that Woody Harrelson portrays in several of the films based on Suzanne Collins' dystopian novels, reps for the film announced Wednesday.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Based on Suzanne Collins' 2025 dystopian book of the same name, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping revisits the world of Panem 24 years before the events of the first movie.
—Jordana Comiter, People.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Its publication in 2008 launched a whole dystopian subgenre and became emblematic of the rising prominence of teen books.
—Charlie Jane Anders, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 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 1 May. 2025.
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