dystopia

[ dis-toh-pee-uh ]

noun

1. a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding.

dystopia

/ dɪsˈtəʊpɪə /

noun

1. an imaginary place where everything is as bad as it can be

Derived Forms

• dysˈtopian, adjectivenoun

Other Words From

• dys·topi·an adjective
• dys·topi·an·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dystopia¹

First recorded in 1865–70; dys- + (U)topia

Word History and Origins

Origin of dystopia¹

C19 (coined by John Stuart Mill ): from dys- + Utopia

Example Sentences

They were a reminder that on this Election Day and night, and more generally, one group’s dystopia is another group’s utopia.

From Salon

By the time I started working as a reporter at the Los Angeles Times three decades ago, the California dystopia genre was already well established.

From Los Angeles Times

The massive financial advantage has allowed Hochman to launch a media blitz painting Los Angeles as a crumbling, crime-ridden dystopia under Gascón’s watch.

From Los Angeles Times

A final subgenre is the technological dystopia.

From Slate

The “better future” we are being sold by OpenAI and others is, in fact, a dystopia.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• antiutopia
• cacotopia