dystopia

[ dis-toh-pee-uh ]

noun

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

dystopia

/ dɪsˈtəʊpɪə /

noun

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

Derived Forms

• dysˈtopian, adjectivenoun

Other Words From

• dys·topi·an adjective
• dys·topi·an·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dystopia¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of dystopia¹

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

Example Sentences

In Dave Eggers’ The Every, a follow-up to his 2013 novel The Circle, the tech dystopia that characters navigate bears a strong resemblance to our current reality, dialed up a notch or two.

From Quartz

It is still a journey into the future for me, but not a good future, more a dystopia.

From Time

Before long, however, it descends into dystopia and civil war.

From Ozy

His later series Battlestar Galactica was famed for its grim plot twists and serious tone, but Moore would rather you not call that series a dystopia.

From Vox

Compared to other pandemic-inspired dystopias, the rise of the avatar sports fan wasn’t horrible, so much as mildly depressing.

From Outside Online

Divergent is set in a dystopia and provides a pretty bleak portrait of our future.

From The Daily Beast

Five years into the Obama presidency, we are further from the Great Recession but also closer to a new normal—economic dystopia.

From The Daily Beast

Or we hear on MSNBC that the Republicans are ideologically blind and fanatical in their pursuit of a Darwinian dystopia.

From The Daily Beast

Lurking not far beneath the prettiness lies the real Pagford—a dystopia that would take a wizard to set right.

From The Daily Beast

In Tampa, the equivalent trip took you through an Eraserhead dystopia of underpasses and asphalt plains.

From The Daily Beast

Related Words

• antiutopia
• cacotopia