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

Part sci-fi, part fantasy, part mystery, Sweet Tooth offers viewers a post-apocalyptic dystopia unlike any other. —Matt Kamen, WIRED, 22 June 2024

Buy Now 04 of 14 Dystopian: 'The Handmaid’s Tale' by Margaret Atwood Speculative near-future dystopias usually get shelved in science fiction, but there are definitely a few books in the intersection of the Venn diagram where speculative dystopia meets dark fantasy meets horror. —Marianne Gordon, Peoplemag, 19 June 2024

Still, the fact this detail was ever a part of Furiosa’s backstory at all leaves questions about how much Miller absorbed the feminism of the character, let alone intended her to be a reclamation of his nihilistic dystopia rather than a badass representative of it. —Aja Romano, Vox, 24 May 2024

But even putting aside the most extreme fears of an AI dystopia, previous incidents have provided plenty of reasons to worry about unintended large-scale calamities in the near term. —Bill Drexel, Foreign Affairs, 30 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

dys- + -topia (in utopia)

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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