utopianism

noun uto·pi·an·ism \ yu̇-ˈtō-pē-ə-ˌni-zəm \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of utopianism

1 : a utopian idea or theory

2 often capitalized : the body of ideas, views, or aims of a utopian

Recent Examples of utopianism from the Web

This makes one of Kaplan’s final chapters, on the dangers of a new utopianism, all the more chilling.

— bret stephens, New York Times, "Foreign Policy From the Dark Side," 28 Mar. 2018
If the utopia that was meant to be America by its early settlers has failed, my guess is that Mr. Fraser would argue this is no reason to eschew the dream of utopianism generally.

— joseph epstein, WSJ, "‘Class Matters’ Review: The American Dream as Nightmare," 22 Mar. 2018
The citizens’ councils, designed as visions of democratic utopianism, hold little power.

— max fisher, amanda taub and dalia martÍnez, New York Times, "Losing Faith in the State, Some Mexican Towns Quietly Break Away," 7 Jan. 2018
At the center of this fractured saga, whose companion pieces will touch on American utopianism and the birth of 20th-century industrialism, is the eponymous Lydie Breeze.

— julia m. klein, Philly.com, "'Cold Harbor' at EgoPo: Long, messy 'Lydie Breeze' slog begins the John Guare Festival," 4 Feb. 2018
That legacy of dreamy utopianism continues to inform the tech industry’s self-perception, even as its financial imperatives collide with its politics.

— vanityfair.com, "Why Zuckerberg’s New Immigration Activism Rings Hollow," 20 Oct. 2017
That legacy of dreamy utopianism continues to inform the tech industry’s self-perception, even as its financial imperatives collide with its politics.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "Why Zuckerberg’s New Immigration Activism Rings Hollow," 20 Oct. 2017
That’s part of what differentiates our work from pure utopianism.

— stephen humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Blade Runner 2049': Why some science fiction writers are tired of dystopias," 7 Oct. 2017
The Jetsons utopianism common to fashions of the boom years of the late 20th century, for instance, mutated at the turning of the millennium.

— guy trebay, New York Times, "Van Gogh on Five, Wonderbra on Six: A Tour of MoMA’s New Fashion Exhibit," 26 Sep. 2017

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

First Known Use of utopianism

1649

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