dystopian
Americanadjective
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resembling or relating to a dystopia.
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causing or characterized by an extreme amount of misery.
noun
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.
Vocabulary lists containing dystopian
100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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Charming as Verb
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Science Fiction Lingo
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Celebrate Labor Day with a new tradition: Sorry to Bother You, Boots Riley’s 2018 film starring LaKeith Stanfield, is a rollicking sci-fi black comedy about a dystopian workplace.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
The entire advisory reads like the script for a dystopian sci-fi film describing a chaotic, violent failed state run by criminal gangs.
From Salon ● Sep. 3, 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
It was like scenes from a movie about Europe’s dystopian future: Wave after wave of mostly young men from North Africa pouring into European territory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
