Definition
Relating to or describing an imagined future society marked by oppression, environmental collapse, technological control, or other dire conditions. It's the opposite of utopian and serves as a cautionary vision of what could go wrong.
Example Usage
The novel presents a dystopian world where the government monitors every citizen through surveillance technology.
Origin
From Greek 'dys-' (bad) + 'topos' (place), coined in the 19th century as the inverse of Sir Thomas More's 'Utopia.'
Fun Fact
Classic dystopian works like Orwell's '1984' and Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale' often predict real-world developments—surveillance, authoritarian rule, environmental crisis—decades before they become mainstream concerns.
Related Terms
Translate This Term
See “Dystopian” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.
Try the Translator