Utopia

Utopia is an ideal place or state, usually one that is unrealistic or unattainable. For example, if you love playing basketball and dislike studying, your utopia might be a place where everyone is supposed to play basketball all day and there is no school. 

Utopia, capitalized, is the name for a fictional island from Sir Thomas More’s story Utopia, which is said to be a perfect society. The book describes the society in detail, including laws, customs, and religion.

Utopia is also any imagined perfect society or political system. It is often used when discussing politics and law to describe an unreachable goal or something that is overly visionary.

Example: We don’t live in some utopia where everyone has access to clean water.

The first records of the term Utopia come from 1516. More coined the term using New Latin. Literally it means “no place,” reflecting the idea that the perfect society doesn’t exist. 

The point More makes with Utopia is that because every person has a different opinion and different needs, utopia is not actually attainable. While we use utopia to generally refer to any perfect place, we’re also saying that the perfect place is unreachable or unrealistic. Though that doesn’t stop most people from trying to find or create a utopia for themselves or for the world.

You might also use utopia to describe a place that you greatly enjoy or find relaxing and peaceful. Just remember that not everyone will agree on what’s enjoyable or peaceful.

What are some other forms related to Utopia?

• Utopian (adjective)

What are some synonyms for Utopia?

• bliss
• paradise
• Shangri-la

What are some words that share a root or word element with Utopia? 

• Utopianism
• utopian socialism
• utopism

What are some words that often get used in discussing Utopia?

• bliss
• perfect
• politics
• unrealistic

Utopia is often used in contrast to something that is a problem. In fiction, utopia can be used with other terms to create the name of a fictional place that the author finds ideal.

can we just let the producers of great british bake off run the government and live in a whimsical utopia where our biggest crisis is a soggy bottom

— Daniel Howell (@danielhowell) October 6, 2020

If world peace was as important to people as getting tweeted back by their favorite celebrity, we'd live in a blissful Utopia.

— Adam Levine (@adamlevine) July 6, 2012

It's pretty much football utopia this weekend – time to kiss the family goodbye for a couple days!

Saturday:
Bama vs LSU
Uga vs KY
West Va vs Texas
PSU vs Mich

Sunday:
Rams vs Saints
Packers vs Pats

— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) October 31, 2018

True or False?

A Utopia is a place where nothing good ever happens.