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

But for now, that prospect belongs in the realm of science fiction, and even there, dystopia is far more likely than anything verging on utopia. —Nicholas Eberstadt, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2024

To be pretty in this dystopia means becoming monstrous. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2024

Okay, these eggs have stuff inside of them, so that’s a step up from the eggless dystopia of Don’t Worry, Darling. —Emma Specter, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2024

But this toy-department memoir soon heads toward political dystopia. —Armond White, National Review, 11 Oct. 2024

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

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