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
Lone Star dystopia with an insistent plea for the importance of reading.
—Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2025
Put a game with a goofy feel, a corporate dystopia, and complex systems into early access.
—Ars Technica, 22 Dec. 2024
Pretty much every element of The Matrix has continued to impact high-concept sci-fi in the 25 years since its release: its depictions of dystopia and uprisings, its questioning of our accepted reality, Trinity’s specific brand of strong female character, all those duster-length jackets.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2024
This blurring of real life and dystopia is fascinating, especially in a film that tends to draw a hard line between its two segments: nonfiction, based on interviews, and science fiction, stacked with genre tropes.
—Natalia Winkelman, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024
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Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2025
Put a game with a goofy feel, a corporate dystopia, and complex systems into early access.
—Ars Technica, 22 Dec. 2024
Pretty much every element of The Matrix has continued to impact high-concept sci-fi in the 25 years since its release: its depictions of dystopia and uprisings, its questioning of our accepted reality, Trinity’s specific brand of strong female character, all those duster-length jackets.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2024
This blurring of real life and dystopia is fascinating, especially in a film that tends to draw a hard line between its two segments: nonfiction, based on interviews, and science fiction, stacked with genre tropes.
—Natalia Winkelman, New York Times, 26 Dec. 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 26 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
dystopia
noun
dys·to·pia
dis-ˈtō-pē-ə
: malposition of an anatomical part
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