utopia

noun uto·pia \ yu̇-ˈtō-pē-ə \

Definition of utopia

1 :an imaginary and indefinitely remote place

2 often capitalized :a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions

3 :an impractical scheme for social improvement

See utopia defined for English-language learners

See utopia defined for kids

utopia was our Word of the Day on 04/16/2014. Hear the podcast!

Examples of utopia in a Sentence

The town's founders wanted to create a Christian utopia.
It's a nice place to live, but it's no Utopia.

Recent Examples of utopia from the Web

As America’s driest state, Nevada is a utopia of extremes.

— jim mangan, The Cut, "Mysticism and Fall Fashion Collide in the Mojave Desert," 24 Aug. 2017
And so long as an overwhelming majority of Americans do not want to live in Ayn Rand’s utopia, advancing their aims will require undemining resposive government in the United States.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "It’s an Abomination That 49 GOP Senators Voted For ‘Skinny Repeal’," 28 July 2017
This precipitates a corporate crisis for IT, which in the future Randian (Ayn Rand or Rand Paul, your choice) utopia of 2147 is a sovereign power of its own.

— sean gallagher, Ars Technica, "Teleportation is murder: Old trope gets new twist in The Punch Escrow," 22 July 2017
GOP voters, for their part, either believe in Ayn Rand’s utopia; or want the more affordable coverage Trump promised them; or have no strongly held views on health-care policy at all.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Donald Trump Is a Victim of Congressional Republicans’ Incompetence," 19 July 2017
Victory didn’t usher in utopia, but victory meant something substantial.

— david french, National Review, "A Game for Our Time," 16 July 2017
Stranger Things has its strengths, though, especially its nerve-wrackingly patient pacing, tense mood, and expert evocation of a Reagan-era suburban utopia corrupted by vile darkness.

— leor galil, Chicago Reader, "Pitchfork loves TV, so Pitchfork loves Survive," 12 July 2017
KC Weddings Bridal Spectacular 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, July 30, at Overland Park Convention Center With wedding season flooding your mailbox and social media, why not join in on the fun at Kansas City’s bridal utopia?

— kara lewis,, kansascity.com, "Ink in July: Muse at the Nelson, Violent Femmes and Bridal Spectacular," 3 July 2017
KC Weddings Bridal Spectacular 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, July 30, at Overland Park Convention Center With wedding season flooding your mailbox and social media, why not join in on the fun at Kansas City’s bridal utopia?

— kara lewis,, kansascity, "Ink in July: Muse at the Nelson, Violent Femmes and Bridal Spectacular," 3 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'utopia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

In 1516, English humanist Sir Thomas More published a book titled Utopia. It compared social and economic conditions in Europe with those of an ideal society on an imaginary island located off the coast of the Americas. More wanted to imply that the perfect conditions on his fictional island could never really exist, so he called it Utopia, a name he created by combining the Greek words ou (meaning "no, not") and topos (meaning "place," a root used in our word topography). The earliest generic use of utopia was for an imaginary and indefinitely remote place. The current use of utopia, referring to an ideal place or society, was inspired by More's description of Utopia's perfection.