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
The agent also downloaded two episodes of a dystopian series, 12 Monkeys, which caused the distribution of the episodes without permission from the copyright owner, authorities wrote.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 21 June 2024
Plot details for the film are being kept under wraps, but Suarez’s book, released in 2014, is about a dystopian future where the government hides and controls any technological advancements and withholds them for a select few.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 18 June 2024
Tales range from dystopian post civil war sci-fi, to a dark humour fast food thriller, to an interracial romantic comedy or a road movie through Africa searching for peace in the heart.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 18 June 2024
Dunst’s latest film takes place in a dystopian future.
—Hannah Malach, WWD, 16 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for dystopian 
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 21 June 2024
Plot details for the film are being kept under wraps, but Suarez’s book, released in 2014, is about a dystopian future where the government hides and controls any technological advancements and withholds them for a select few.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 18 June 2024
Tales range from dystopian post civil war sci-fi, to a dark humour fast food thriller, to an interracial romantic comedy or a road movie through Africa searching for peace in the heart.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 18 June 2024
Dunst’s latest film takes place in a dystopian future.
—Hannah Malach, WWD, 16 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for dystopian
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dystopian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Cite this Entry
“Dystopian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dystopian. Accessed 27 Jun. 2024.
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