dystopian

adjective

dys·​to·​pi·​an (ˌ)dis-ˈtō-pē-ən 

variants or less commonly dystopic

(ˌ)dis-ˈtō-pik  -ˈtä- 

: 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

Dystopian visions are in a sense mythopoeic: depicting a creation myth in a future world of darkness and silence.

—Sarah Lefanu

Biotechnology 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

Like many advances in science and technology, the dystopian implications of data mining have been described best by science-fiction writers.

—John Markoff

… Orwellian has become a word itself: an adjective denoting a dystopic world where language is cut adrift from meaning.

—Harvey A. Daniels

Letter by letter, we read of a society that seems to move from one dystopic nightmare to another …

—Simon Winchester

Examples of dystopian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Journalists are doing a lot of fretting these days about AI and a possible dystopian future in which that technology eliminates their jobs. —Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2024

In addition to directing The Handmaiden and Decision to Leave, Park previously produced the dystopian thriller Snowpiercer which was likewise adapted into a series. —James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024

The dystopian action pic has surpassed projections with its opening weekend, debuting to $25.7 million in North America. —Shania Russell, EW.com, 14 Apr. 2024

Civil War elicited significant attention from audiences when its trailer released in December 2023 for its dystopian vision of the United States. —Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024

Its plot revolves around a U.S. government that has become a dystopian dictatorship and extremist militias who regularly commit war crimes. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024

The movie sets up its dystopian futureworld with a handy bit of exposition: an armed alliance of states has launched a revolt against a fascist U.S. government. —Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024

The dystopian sci-fi epic follows Neo (Reeves), a computer hacker who is summoned to join a cyber-intelligence rebellion after discovering that humanity is trapped inside a simulated reality known as the Matrix. —Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024

Platoon, Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, and many other films portrayed American heroes fighting their way through a dystopian backwater and then dealing with the psychic toll of defeat back home. —Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

dystopian from dystopia + -an entry 2; dystopic from dystopia + -ic entry 1

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined above