Definition of UTOPIA

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.

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 on the Web

The stories of Better Worlds are not intended to be conflict-free utopias or Pollyanna-ish paeans about how tech will solve everything; many are set in societies where people face challenges, sometimes life-threatening ones. — The Verge, "Better Worlds," 5 Dec. 2018 One night, driving home from dropping off a vintage car to tech prodigy Eron (Harrison Gilbertson), the technological utopia proves fallible. — Katie Walsh, kansascity, "‘Upgrade’: Silly cyberpunk with a timely message about our high-tech world," 31 May 2018 Although Barnsdall’s dreams of a creative utopia never came to fruition, today this public park is home to one of the best spots for sunbathing in Los Angeles. — Hadley Meares, Los Angeles Magazine, "10 Historic L.A. Places to Visit on a Sunny Day," 14 May 2018 This utopia/dystopia tension has always been part of the city’s DNA, and in these early pages, Krist leans heavily on the negative side. — Leo Braudy, New York Times, "Los Angeles as the City of Dreams, and Nightmares," 1 June 2018 Hot off the United Nations warning us about the impending effects of global warming, Cities: Skylines is getting an Industries expansion—like the polar opposite of last year’s Green Cities utopia. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: Walking Dead resurrected, Baldur's Gate 3 rumors, Into the Breach done quick," 12 Oct. 2018 The fall from grace is embodied in capitalism; man is redeemed as the proletariat rises up against its exploiters and creates a communist utopia. — The Economist, "Rulers of the world: read Karl Marx!," 3 May 2018 The upshot: that grand vision of Vermont becoming a utopia that pays all health-care costs for all residents is imperiled, and the blunders behind Vermont's rollout could have far-reaching implications. — Lynnley Browning, Newsweek, "Doubling Down on Obamacare," 6 Feb. 2014 Located in the Pacific Ocean some 600 miles off the coast of mainland Ecuador, the archipelago of 20 volcanic islands (and dozens more islets) remains an unspoiled utopia despite hosting more than 200,000 annual visitors. — Alexandra Kirkman, Fortune, "Visit the Galapagos Like a Royal," 23 June 2018

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.