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
Watching In the Amazon Warehouse Parking Lot, my brain kept jumping to Severance, a TV dystopia that’s got its t’s crossed and its i’s painstakingly dotted.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2024
The threat of grocery store food shortages during the pandemic then occupied Thorne as the script for 40 Acres and its famine-riven dystopia took shape with the help of co-writer Glenn Taylor.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Sep. 2024
But for now, that prospect belongs in the realm of science fiction, and even there, dystopia is far more likely than anything verging on utopia.
—Nicholas Eberstadt, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2024
To be pretty in this dystopia means becoming monstrous.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dystopia 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2024
The threat of grocery store food shortages during the pandemic then occupied Thorne as the script for 40 Acres and its famine-riven dystopia took shape with the help of co-writer Glenn Taylor.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Sep. 2024
But for now, that prospect belongs in the realm of science fiction, and even there, dystopia is far more likely than anything verging on utopia.
—Nicholas Eberstadt, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2024
To be pretty in this dystopia means becoming monstrous.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dystopia
Articles Related to dystopia
Cite this Entry
“Dystopia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dystopia. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
dystopia
noun
dys·to·pia
dis-ˈtō-pē-ə
: malposition of an anatomical part
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share