noun
dystopia
dis-TOH-pee-uh
Dystopia (noun) means an imagined society in which life is deliberately made bad — typically through oppression, surveillance, environmental ruin or total state control. Example: “The novel is set in a dystopia where books are banned.”
noun
1
An imagined society in which life is deliberately made bad — typically through oppression, surveillance, environmental ruin or total state control.
"The novel is set in a dystopia where books are banned."
"Rolling blackouts and curfews gave the city a dystopia-like feel."
How to use dystopia
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn imaginary society where life has been made deliberately terrible.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
a dystopia
techno-dystopia
dystopian fiction
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like dystopia.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The novel is set in a _____ where books are banned.
Etymology
From Greek "dys-" (bad, difficult) plus "topos" (place), formed as the direct opposite of utopia.
Synonyms
View more →
anti-utopia
Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for dystopia
See all rhymes for dystopia →Frequently asked questions
What is a dystopia?
An imagined society organised so that life in it is deliberately grim — through authoritarian control, surveillance, scarcity or ecological collapse. It is the opposite of a utopia, and usually written as a warning about a trend in the author's own time.
What is the difference between dystopia and dystopian?
"Dystopia" is the noun — the place or society itself. "Dystopian" is the adjective describing it: a dystopian novel, a dystopian future.
Is dystopia the opposite of utopia?
Yes. Utopia is a place made ideal, dystopia a place made deliberately bad. Both are built on the Greek "topos," meaning place.
What is the meaning of dystopia?
"dystopia" (noun) means an imagined society in which life is deliberately made bad — typically through oppression, surveillance, environmental ruin or total state control.
