Utopian
Americanadjective
-
of, relating to, or resembling Utopia, an idealized imaginary island described in Sir Thomas More's Utopia (1516).
-
(usually lowercase) founded upon or involving idealized perfection.
-
(usually lowercase) given to impractical or unrealistic schemes of such perfection.
- Synonyms:
- impracticable, impractical, idealistic, visionary
noun
-
an inhabitant of Utopia.
-
(usually lowercase) an ardent but impractical political or social reformer; visionary; idealist.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
- Utopianism noun
Etymology
Origin of Utopian
First recorded in 1545–55; from New Latin Ūtopiānus; Utopia, -an
Explanation
If you're looking to relocate to a utopia, good luck! A utopia is an ideal society, and a scheme or vision for producing such a society can be called utopian. In 1516, the English philosopher Thomas More published Utopia, a book about an island nation with the perfect form of government. This novel gave us the adjective utopian, which can be used to describe plans for or works of fiction depicting ideal societies. Dystopian literature, by contrast, describes nightmarishly repressive worlds. It's ironic that More himself may have conceived of his Utopia as a dystopia, or at least a satire. The name of More's novel is anglicized Greek for "no place" — which makes a lot of sense if you think about it.
Vocabulary lists containing utopian
100 SAT Words Beginning with "U"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
47 Great Words from "The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," by Junot Diaz
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The 15 Most Relevant Words from the Fifth Republican Presidential Debate (+5 more words of note)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Utopian visions are also a central feature of the hype around artificial general intelligence, or AGI.
From Salon • Jul. 29, 2023
Former employees paint a picture of a Utopian work environment where co-workers believed wholeheartedly in Bitwise’s mission — making the company’s abrupt downfall feel all the more like a betrayal.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2023
The Heirloom Collard Project — whose members include Seed Savers Exchange, Southern Exposure, Ujamaa and the Utopian Seed Project — hopes to persuade us to make room for a row.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 14, 2023
Starring Joel Edgerton, Quintessa Swindell and Sigourney Weaver, it is a classic Schrader joint: an austere, beautiful, romantic, wordy, implausible and touchingly Utopian story of love, loneliness, violence and redemption.
From New York Times • Oct. 5, 2022
His vigorous denunciation of Utopian cosmopolitanism prevents his being considered an internationalist.
From The Political Doctrines of Sun Yat-sen: An Exposition of the San Min Chu I by Linebarger, Paul Myron Anthony
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
