dystopia

American  

[dis-toh-pee-uh] / dɪsˈtoʊ pi ə /

noun

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

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dystopia British  

/ dɪsˈtəʊpɪə /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• dystopian adjective
• dystopianism noun

Etymology

Origin of dystopia

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

Compare meaning

How does dystopia compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Utopia vs. dystopia

Example Sentences

And when the production falls somewhere between RedOne productions and Plan B deep cuts, that world becomes a post-cultural, hazy pop dystopia of both the past and a far-off, distant future.

From Los Angeles Times

But I’d argue his subtler work on “Back to the Future” is as incisive and cutting, since it acknowledges that the dystopia is already here.

From Los Angeles Times

The Nobel Prize in Literature was on Thursday awarded to Laszlo Krasznahorkai, considered by many as Hungary's most important living author, whose works explore themes of postmodern dystopia and melancholy.

From Barron's

The Nobel Prize in Literature was on Thursday awarded to Laszlo Krasznahorkai, considered by many as Hungary's most important living author whose works explore themes of postmodern dystopia and melancholy.

From Barron's

Anderson employs many of the strategies of his historical films to evocative results, creating a distorted dystopia out of modern times.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• antiutopia
• cacotopia