dystopia

[ dis-toh-pee-uh ]

/ dɪsˈtoʊ pi ə /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dystopia ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding.

Nearby words

dysthymic disorder, dystocia, dystonia, dystonia musculorum deformans, dystonic reaction, dystopia, dystrophia unguium, dystrophic, dystrophic calcification, dystrophication, dystrophin

Compare Utopia.

Origin of dystopia

First recorded in 1865–70; dys- + (U)topia

Related forms

dys·to·pi·an, adjectivedys·to·pi·an·ism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dystopia

Divergent is set in a dystopia and provides a pretty bleak portrait of our future.
Exclusive: Shailene Woodley On ‘Divergent,’ J. Law, and Why She Turned Down ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’|Marlow Stern|March 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Or we hear on MSNBC that the Republicans are ideologically blind and fanatical in their pursuit of a Darwinian dystopia.
Memo to the South: Go Ahead, Secede Already!|Lee Siegel|April 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Lurking not far beneath the prettiness lies the real Pagford—a dystopia that would take a wizard to set right.
‘The Casual Vacancy’ Review: J.K. Rowling Cuts Loose From Harry Potter|Malcolm Jones|September 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In Tampa, the equivalent trip took you through an Eraserhead dystopia of underpasses and asphalt plains.
Charlotte Putting Tampa To Shame|David Frum|September 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST

In the final section of the book, the sense of dystopia becomes more pronounced and the search for refuge more desperate.
Must Read New Fiction: ‘Arcadia,’ ‘Men in Space,’ ‘The O’Briens,’ ‘Hot Pink’|Chloë Schama, Jacob Silverman, Wendy Smith, Daniel Roberts|March 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for dystopia

dystopia

/ (dɪsˈtəʊpɪə) /

noun

an imaginary place where everything is as bad as it can be

Derived Forms

dystopian, adjective, noun

Word Origin for dystopia

C19 (coined by John Stuart Mill): from dys- + Utopia

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for dystopia

dystopia

[ dĭs-tō′pē-ə ]

n.

An abnormal position, as of an organ or a body part.malposition

Related forms

dys•top′ic (-tŏp′ĭk) adj.