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
Audiences compared the event to The Hunger Games, a dystopia where the wealthy sit back as everyone else fights to the death.
—Mia Sato, The Verge, 15 May 2024
Where the look of the band’s late-Eighties Steel Wheels tour was meant to evoke a dystopia and their mid-Nineties Voodoo Lounge tour reflected internet culture for the entirety of the concert, Hackney Diamonds changes from song to song, almost like sliding TikToks.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for dystopia 
Mia Sato, The Verge, 15 May 2024
Where the look of the band’s late-Eighties Steel Wheels tour was meant to evoke a dystopia and their mid-Nineties Voodoo Lounge tour reflected internet culture for the entirety of the concert, Hackney Diamonds changes from song to song, almost like sliding TikToks.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for dystopia
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dystopia.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Dystopia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dystopia. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
dystopia
noun
dys·to·pia
dis-ˈtō-pē-ə
: malposition of an anatomical part
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