dystopian

adjective

dys·​to·​pi·​an (ˌ)dis-ˈtō-pē-ən 

variants or less commonly dystopic

(ˌ)dis-ˈtō-pik  -ˈtä- 

: of, relating to, or being an imagined world or society in which people lead dehumanized, fearful lives : relating to or characteristic of a dystopia

A twisted romantic haunted by dystopian visions, Gibson borrows the language of science fiction and crafts doomed love stories with high-tech trappings.

—Maitland McDonagh

Dystopian visions are in a sense mythopoeic: depicting a creation myth in a future world of darkness and silence.

—Sarah Lefanu

Biotechnology is a force for good, but without adherence to the ideal of universal human equality, it opens the door to the soft tyranny of Gattaca and, ultimately the dystopian nightmare of Brave New World.

—Wesley J. Smith

Like many advances in science and technology, the dystopian implications of data mining have been described best by science-fiction writers.

—John Markoff

… Orwellian has become a word itself: an adjective denoting a dystopic world where language is cut adrift from meaning.

—Harvey A. Daniels

Letter by letter, we read of a society that seems to move from one dystopic nightmare to another …

—Simon Winchester

Examples of dystopian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Turning back time — Thinking about these New York Jets is bad for our well-being, and there were few highlights from their dystopian season. —Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025

Silo Another great sci-fi offering from Apple, Silo is a dystopian story about a massive underground silo that houses thousands of residents of a post-nuclear world. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025

The film, which blends Hindu mythology with dystopian future tech, represents a significant milestone for Indian cinema’s expanding global footprint. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Dec. 2024

It’s set in a dystopian near-future America ruled by a dictator. —Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 29 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

dystopian from dystopia + -an entry 2; dystopic from dystopia + -ic entry 1

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined above