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 dystopian novel
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
Dystopian visions are in a sense mythopoeic: depicting a creation myth in a future world of darkness and silence.—Sarah Lefanu
Biotechnology 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
Like many advances in science and technology, the dystopian implications of data mining have been described best by science-fiction writers.—John Markoff
… Orwellian has become a word itself: an adjective denoting a dystopic world where language is cut adrift from meaning.—Harvey A. Daniels
Letter by letter, we read of a society that seems to move from one dystopic nightmare to another …—Simon Winchester
Cite this Entry
“Dystopian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dystopian. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
