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

I felt that those textures signaled … I hate using the word “dystopian,” but the dystopian future.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

But if our A.I. future winds up somewhere on the more dystopian end of the spectrum, won’t you want your guide through it to be a cute little guy?

From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026

"It's extremely dystopian and that is something we should be all scared about," she added.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

If that seems like an impossible contradiction, welcome to the mid-2020s, where reality seems increasingly like dystopian science fiction mixed with an especially opaque John le Carré spy thriller.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 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

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