dystopian
adjective
dys·to·pi·an
(ˌ)dis-ˈtō-pē-ən 
variants
or less commonly dystopic
: 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
Maitland McDonaghDystopian visions are in a sense mythopoeic: depicting a creation myth in a future world of darkness and silence.—Sarah Lefanu
Sarah LefanuBiotechnology 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
Wesley J. SmithLike many advances in science and technology, the dystopian implications of data mining have been described best by science-fiction writers.—John Markoff
John Markoff… Orwellian has become a word itself: an adjective denoting a dystopic world where language is cut adrift from meaning.—Harvey A. Daniels
Harvey A. DanielsLetter by letter, we read of a society that seems to move from one dystopic nightmare to another …—Simon Winchester
Simon WinchesterExamples of dystopian in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This is where artificial intelligence comes into play – not as the dystopian force of Hollywood imagination, but as a sophisticated analytical ally.
—Sophia Mendelsohn, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Enrolled alongside an unrivaled collection of students that also included Terrence Malick and Paul Schrader, Lynch spent the next several years making his first feature, Eraserhead (1977), a dystopian vision shot in black and white.
—Stephen Galloway, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2025
In short, the once-disturbing premise of the dystopian drama/dark comedy now infuses me with calm.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025
The film, a distressing tale about a man caring for a child in a dystopian industrial setting, took five years to complete, finally appearing in 1977.
—News Desk, Artforum, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for dystopian 
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Sophia Mendelsohn, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Enrolled alongside an unrivaled collection of students that also included Terrence Malick and Paul Schrader, Lynch spent the next several years making his first feature, Eraserhead (1977), a dystopian vision shot in black and white.
—Stephen Galloway, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2025
In short, the once-disturbing premise of the dystopian drama/dark comedy now infuses me with calm.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025
The film, a distressing tale about a man caring for a child in a dystopian industrial setting, took five years to complete, finally appearing in 1977.
—News Desk, Artforum, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for dystopian
Cite this Entry
“Dystopian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dystopian. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
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