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
But among content creators, its role is starting to look less dystopian, and much more pragmatic.
—Matt Emma, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
The film was One Battle After Another, Anderson’s high-octane adaptation of Vineland, Thomas Pynchon’s anarchic 1990 novel about a crew of former leftist revolutionaries — the French 75 — living in a slightly more dystopian version of present-day America.
—Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Set in a dystopian United States, the story centers on a group of teenage boys who compete in the eponymous contest that requires them to walk at a certain speed or get killed.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
During Covid, the world felt numb and dystopian.
—Kim Gordon, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dystopian
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Matt Emma, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
The film was One Battle After Another, Anderson’s high-octane adaptation of Vineland, Thomas Pynchon’s anarchic 1990 novel about a crew of former leftist revolutionaries — the French 75 — living in a slightly more dystopian version of present-day America.
—Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Set in a dystopian United States, the story centers on a group of teenage boys who compete in the eponymous contest that requires them to walk at a certain speed or get killed.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
During Covid, the world felt numb and dystopian.
—Kim Gordon, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 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 9 Sep. 2025.
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