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

Lone Star dystopia with an insistent plea for the importance of reading. —Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2025

Put a game with a goofy feel, a corporate dystopia, and complex systems into early access. —Ars Technica, 22 Dec. 2024

Pretty much every element of The Matrix has continued to impact high-concept sci-fi in the 25 years since its release: its depictions of dystopia and uprisings, its questioning of our accepted reality, Trinity’s specific brand of strong female character, all those duster-length jackets. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2024

This blurring of real life and dystopia is fascinating, especially in a film that tends to draw a hard line between its two segments: nonfiction, based on interviews, and science fiction, stacked with genre tropes. —Natalia Winkelman, New York Times, 26 Dec. 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