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

One of the drivers for media — especially large-scale media, like Hollywood blockbusters — is dystopia bias. —Izzie Ramirez, Vox, 21 Nov. 2024

Onyebuchi’s thrilling 2020 novella asks just how far sci-fi dystopias are from real life. —Ruth Madievsky, The Atlantic, 20 Nov. 2024

Westerfeld’s dystopia pulls off one of the most unforgettable reveals in YA history by playing with our notions of beauty. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2024

Downtown Atlanta and the Beltline could avoid becoming a data center dystopia under new protections approved this week by the Atlanta City Council. —Thomas Wheatley, Axios, 5 Sep. 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