Utopia

[ yoo-toh-pee-uh ]

noun

1. an imaginary island described in Sir Thomas More's Utopia (1516) as enjoying perfection in law, politics, etc.
2. (usually lowercase) an ideal place or state.
3. (usually lowercase) any visionary system of political or social perfection.

Utopia

/ juːˈtəʊpɪə /

noun

1. sometimes not capital any real or imaginary society, place, state, etc, considered to be perfect or ideal

Utopia

1. (1516) A book by Sir Thomas More that describes an imaginary ideal society free of poverty and suffering. The expression utopia is coined from Greek words and means “no place.”

Notes

By extension, a “utopia” is any ideal state.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Utopia¹

< New Latin (1516) < Greek ou not + tóp ( os ) a place + -ia -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of Utopia¹

C16: from New Latin Utopia (coined by Sir Thomas More in 1516 as the title of his book that described an imaginary island representing the perfect society), literally: no place, from Greek ou not + topos a place

Example Sentences

The marvelous Utopia Orchestra in the pit was composed of leading players from top European ensembles.

From Los Angeles Times

Last year he scored his first UK number one album with Utopia, which was released a week after a planned show in front of Egypt's pyramids was cancelled.

From BBC

In music, the most successful releases for the latest quarter included SZA’s “SOS” and Travis Scott’s “Utopia,” while Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” recently reached No. 1 on Billboard and other nations’ rankings.

From Seattle Times

"Travis Scott's Utopia - Circus Maximus Tour is set to continue this summer with a headline performance here at Co-op Live on 13 July 2024," the Manchester venue posted on social media.

From BBC

“Check to see if recent guests have posted any negative reviews,” advises Pete Evering, a business development manager at Utopia Property Management, a rental management company.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• bliss
• paradise

More About Utopia

What is Utopia?

Utopia is an ideal place or state, usually one that is unrealistic or unattainable. For example, if you love playing basketball and dislike studying, your utopia might be a place where everyone is supposed to play basketball all day and there is no school. 

Utopia, capitalized, is the name for a fictional island from Sir Thomas More’s story Utopia, which is said to be a perfect society. The book describes the society in detail, including laws, customs, and religion.

Utopia is also any imagined perfect society or political system. It is often used when discussing politics and law to describe an unreachable goal or something that is overly visionary.

Example: We don’t live in some utopia where everyone has access to clean water.

Where does Utopia come from?

The first records of the term Utopia come from 1516. More coined the term using New Latin. Literally it means “no place,” reflecting the idea that the perfect society doesn’t exist. 

The point More makes with Utopia is that because every person has a different opinion and different needs, utopia is not actually attainable. While we use utopia to generally refer to any perfect place, we’re also saying that the perfect place is unreachable or unrealistic. Though that doesn’t stop most people from trying to find or create a utopia for themselves or for the world.

You might also use utopia to describe a place that you greatly enjoy or find relaxing and peaceful. Just remember that not everyone will agree on what’s enjoyable or peaceful.

 

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to Utopia?

• Utopian (adjective)

What are some synonyms for Utopia?

• bliss
• paradise
• Shangri-la

What are some words that share a root or word element with Utopia? 

• Utopianism
• utopian socialism
• utopism

What are some words that often get used in discussing Utopia?

• bliss
• perfect
• politics
• unrealistic

How is Utopia used in real life?

Utopia is often used in contrast to something that is a problem. In fiction, utopia can be used with other terms to create the name of a fictional place that the author finds ideal.

can we just let the producers of great british bake off run the government and live in a whimsical utopia where our biggest crisis is a soggy bottom

— Daniel Howell (@danielhowell) October 6, 2020

If world peace was as important to people as getting tweeted back by their favorite celebrity, we'd live in a blissful Utopia.

— Adam Levine (@adamlevine) July 6, 2012

It's pretty much football utopia this weekend – time to kiss the family goodbye for a couple days!

Saturday:
Bama vs LSU
Uga vs KY
West Va vs Texas
PSU vs Mich

Sunday:
Rams vs Saints
Packers vs Pats

— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) October 31, 2018

Try using Utopia!

True or False?

A Utopia is a place where nothing good ever happens.