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 twisted romantic haunted by dystopian visions, Gibson borrows the language of science fiction and crafts doomed love stories with high-tech trappings.—
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonaghDystopian visions are in a sense mythopoeic: depicting a creation myth in a future world of darkness and silence.—Sarah Lefanu
Sarah LefanuBiotechnology 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
Wesley J. SmithLike many advances in science and technology, the dystopian implications of data mining have been described best by science-fiction writers.—John Markoff
John Markoff… Orwellian has become a word itself: an adjective denoting a dystopic world where language is cut adrift from meaning.—Harvey A. Daniels
Harvey A. DanielsLetter by letter, we read of a society that seems to move from one dystopic nightmare to another …—Simon Winchester
Simon WinchesterExamples of dystopian in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet according to Peck’s film, recognizing that reality can resemble Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece has led to numbness, rather than meaningful change.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2025
This novel of a post-literate, dystopian world is set in a village on the shores of Lake Superior.
—The Know, Denver Post, 19 Oct. 2025
Though the Baby Driver director offered the Chad Powers star the lead role, the duo had to wait for an official green light from King, who penned the 1982 dystopian thriller novel on which the film is based.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2025
Dallas City Hall, the brutalist-style building that once doubled as a dystopian corporate headquarters in the 1987 sci-fi cult classic RoboCop, is hurting.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dystopian
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Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2025
This novel of a post-literate, dystopian world is set in a village on the shores of Lake Superior.
—The Know, Denver Post, 19 Oct. 2025
Though the Baby Driver director offered the Chad Powers star the lead role, the duo had to wait for an official green light from King, who penned the 1982 dystopian thriller novel on which the film is based.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2025
Dallas City Hall, the brutalist-style building that once doubled as a dystopian corporate headquarters in the 1987 sci-fi cult classic RoboCop, is hurting.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dystopian
Cite this Entry
“Dystopian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dystopian. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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