dystopia

noun

dys·​to·​pia (ˌ)dis-ˈtō-pē-ə 

1

: an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives

There's almost a flavor of science fiction to the scenes Chilson describes, as though he were giving us a glimpse into a 21st-century dystopia of mad egoism and hurtling hulks of metal.

—Adam Goodheart

Over the course of the movie, the late-60's ideal of togetherness turns into a dystopia of violence, revulsion and finally death.

—John Leland

2

: anti-utopia sense 2

writing a dystopia

… leaping across the century to the 1990's to attempt a dystopia about the disintegration of Australian democracy into startling, irreversible despotism.

—Pearl K. Bell

Examples of dystopia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Libya soon degenerated into a violent dystopia and sanctuary for international terrorists and human traffickers. —Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 2 Feb. 2024

Yet another origin story, the film revitalizes the YA dystopia by showing the backstory of Coriolanus Snow, who will one day preside over Katniss Everdeen’s time in the arena. —Shania Russell, EW.com, 17 Dec. 2023

The film imagines a near-future dystopia where the United States has been torn apart under the authoritarian rule of a three-term president (Nick Offerman). —James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Mar. 2024

But when millions of users and mods turned out to prefer dystopia, Huffman ended up committing to maintaining the old interface alongside the new one—stretching thin his engineers. —Paresh Dave, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2024

And, as a result, Keys’s performance became a lightning rod for casual music critics and prophets of technological dystopia alike. —Marc Hogan, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2024

The story takes place in a technological dystopia in which consciousnesses are regularly downloaded into new bodies. —Gabino Iglesias, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2024

Recently, Vogue spoke to Korn about civil rights amid climate disaster, picking and choosing dystopias, and dream-casting. —Emma Specter, Vogue, 17 Jan. 2024

Lionsgate’s dusting-off of the young adult dystopia property has proven to be one of the fall box office’s few bright spots. —J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 16 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

dys- + -topia (in utopia)

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

dystopia

noun

dys·​to·​pia

(ˌ)dis-ˈtō-pē-ə

: an imaginary place where people are unhappy and usually afraid because they are not treated fairly

also : a work of literature about such a place

Medical Definition

dystopia

noun

dys·​to·​pia dis-ˈtō-pē-ə 

: malposition of an anatomical part

dystopic

-ˈtō-pik  -ˈtäp-ik 

adjective