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dystopia

[ dis-toh-pee-uh ]
/ dɪsˈtoʊ pi ə /
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noun
a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding.
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Origin of dystopia

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

OTHER WORDS FROM dystopia

dys·to·pi·an, adjectivedys·to·pi·an·ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dystopia in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dystopia

dystopia
/ (dɪsˈtəʊpɪə) /

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

Derived forms of dystopia

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
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