dystopia

noun

dys·​to·​pia (ˌ)dis-ˈtō-pē-ə 

1

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

An … electric novel that blurs the lines between dystopia and reality.

—Leigh Haber

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

Our present increasingly resembles science fiction dystopias. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 Mar. 2026

But Connor imagines that our thirst for dystopias has only just begun. —Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026

The lines were inspired by Orwell; the music reaches into the future to capture the horrific allure of a self-aware technological dystopia. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 Feb. 2026

As the world around them scorches under record heat, a family walks into the woods, asking what the future holds in this thermal dystopia. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 14 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

dys- + -topia (in utopia)

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dystopia

• amblyopia
• cornucopia
• hyperopia
• atropia
• cecropia
• diplopia
• myopia
• utopia
• hypermetropia

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

dystopian

-ən

adjective

Medical Definition

dystopia

noun

dys·​to·​pia dis-ˈtō-pē-ə 

: malposition of an anatomical part

dystopic

-ˈtō-pik  -ˈtäp-ik 

adjective