dystopia
noun
dys·to·pia
(ˌ)dis-ˈtō-pē-ə 
1
: an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives
There's almost a flavor of science fiction to the scenes Chilson describes, as though he were giving us a glimpse into a 21st-century dystopia of mad egoism and hurtling hulks of metal.—
Adam Goodheart
Adam GoodheartOver the course of the movie, the late-60's ideal of togetherness turns into a dystopia of violence, revulsion and finally death.—John Leland
John Leland2
: anti-utopia sense 2
writing a dystopia
… leaping across the century to the 1990's to attempt a dystopia about the disintegration of Australian democracy into startling, irreversible despotism.—Pearl K. Bell
Pearl K. BellExamples of dystopia in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ronald Reagan warned that Medicare would lead to a socialist dystopia.
—Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2025
Both of those books were set in Walker’s native Southern California, and concerned themselves less with the mechanical details of their respective dystopias than with the intimate, small-scale dramas of their mostly young and female protagonists.
—Leah Greenblatt, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025
These collaborations let consumers play with dystopia rather than fear it, offering a bite-sized way to process heavy stories.
—Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
The film, which stars Robert Pattinson as a clone who works menial jobs in a futuristic dystopia, will likely lose between $75 million to $80 million during its theatrical run, according to three sources with knowledge of the economics of movies on this scale.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 20 Mar. 2025
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Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2025
Both of those books were set in Walker’s native Southern California, and concerned themselves less with the mechanical details of their respective dystopias than with the intimate, small-scale dramas of their mostly young and female protagonists.
—Leah Greenblatt, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025
These collaborations let consumers play with dystopia rather than fear it, offering a bite-sized way to process heavy stories.
—Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
The film, which stars Robert Pattinson as a clone who works menial jobs in a futuristic dystopia, will likely lose between $75 million to $80 million during its theatrical run, according to three sources with knowledge of the economics of movies on this scale.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dystopia
Cite this Entry
“Dystopia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dystopia. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
dystopia
noun
dys·to·pia
dis-ˈtō-pē-ə
: malposition of an anatomical part
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