dystopian

American  

[dis-toh-pee-uhn] / dɪsˈtoʊ pi ən /

adjective

1. resembling or relating to a dystopia.

2. causing or characterized by an extreme amount of misery.

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noun

1. a person who lives in, describes, or advocates for a dystopia.

Explanation

"Utopian" describes a society that's conceived to be perfect. Dystopian is the exact opposite — it describes an imaginary society that is as dehumanizing and as unpleasant as possible. George Orwell's "Animal Farm," for example, describes a dystopian society in which Napoleon, a pig, represents Joseph Stalin in a farmyard satire on Stalinist Russia and how power corrupts. Other famous dystopian authors include Aldous Huxley, Kurt Vonnegut, and Ray Bradbury. The adjective dystopian describes anything that pertains to or resembles a society such as those described in this sort of literature.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dystopian

Narrated through 18 voices, the book is set in a dystopian future America reeling from a series of pandemics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

But it’s her other major appearance, a few episodes later, that raised the high bar Dan Fogelman’s dystopian drama already set.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

And those are queries that must be addressed because, whether we like it or not, even dystopian rom-coms might point us in the right — or even new — direction.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

While excoriating the loss of his visa, López Beltrán also painted a dystopian picture of present-day life north of the border.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

“You know, sometimes it does feel like we’re in one of those trendy dystopian novels,” she admitted.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro