Dystopian
adjective
Relating to a society that is very bad or unfair.
The movie presents a dystopian view of the future.
Often appears as...
- dystopian future
- dystopian society
Usage tips
Disapproving
noun
A person who writes about dystopias or thinks about what they would be like.
As a dystopian, he tends to write stories that are bleak and oppressive.
Often appears as...
- famous dystopian
- successful dystopian
Usage tips
Neutral
Literary
adjective
Relating to a society that is very bad or unfair.
The movie presents a dystopian view of the future.
Often appears as...
- dystopian future
- dystopian society
Usage tips
Disapproving
noun
A person who writes about dystopias or thinks about what they would be like.
As a dystopian, he tends to write stories that are bleak and oppressive.
Often appears as...
- famous dystopian
- successful dystopian
Usage tips
Neutral
Literary
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Negative Imagery
Used to describe settings that are depressing or alarming, suggesting a negative future or outcome.
The novel's dystopian setting was filled with pollution and oppressive government control.
Pro Tip 2/3Not Realistic
Often describes imagined scenarios, not real situations, to warn or provoke thought.
The book's dystopian scenario made readers question the direction society is heading.
Pro Tip 3/3Genre Specific
Commonly found in science fiction or speculative fiction genres.
She is an avid reader of dystopian novels like '1984' and 'The Hunger Games'.
Pro Tip 1/3Negative Imagery
Used to describe settings that are depressing or alarming, suggesting a negative future or outcome.
The novel's dystopian setting was filled with pollution and oppressive government control.
Pro Tip 2/3Not Realistic
Often describes imagined scenarios, not real situations, to warn or provoke thought.
The book's dystopian scenario made readers question the direction society is heading.
Pro Tip 3/3Genre Specific
Commonly found in science fiction or speculative fiction genres.
She is an avid reader of dystopian novels like '1984' and 'The Hunger Games'.
Pro Tip 1/3Negative Imagery
Used to describe settings that are depressing or alarming, suggesting a negative future or outcome.
The novel's dystopian setting was filled with pollution and oppressive government control.
Pro Tip 2/3Not Realistic
Often describes imagined scenarios, not real situations, to warn or provoke thought.
The book's dystopian scenario made readers question the direction society is heading.
Pro Tip 3/3Genre Specific
Commonly found in science fiction or speculative fiction genres.
She is an avid reader of dystopian novels like '1984' and 'The Hunger Games'.
Never forget "Dystopian"
Humans forget easily. That's why you should download WordUp: Smart reminders, word games, AI practice, and much more!
Video examples
Inside the massive (and...
The spy bazaar has gone global. And at arms shows now around the world, you'll see companies displaying facial recognition technology and phone hacking software, displaying right next to traditional arms manufacturers with tanks and missiles. And walking around these arms shows, it's pretty easy to go down dystopian rabbit holes,
Video examples
An ode to the joys of...
Brooks and now we have digital screens who knows where we'll end up with the important thing is the story inside the story that will capture any reader and make them fly thousands of meters are gray from the ground and take them to a place only books can take you to for instance I've been to dystopian futures
Video examples
Andrew McAfee: Are...
are going to take us into a Utopian future, not a dystopian future. And to explain why, I want to pose a ridiculously broad question. I want to what have been the most important developments in human history? Now, I want to share some of the answers that I've gotten in response to this question.
Video examples
Elon Musk: A future...
Exactly. Take care of my grandmother and make sure -- It could obviously recognize everyone in the home. It could play catch with your kids. Yes. I mean, obviously, we need to be careful this doesn't become a dystopian situation. I think one of the things that's going to be important
Video examples
Why should you read "The...
meaning it theorizes about possible futures. This is a fundamental characteristic shared by both utopian and dystopian texts. The possible futures in Atwood's novels are usually negative, or dystopian, where the actions of a small group have destroyed society as we know it.
Video examples
Why should you read...
as a masterpiece of dystopian fiction. Dystopian fiction as a genre amplifies troubling features of the world around us and imagines the consequences of taking them to an extreme. In many dystopian stories, the government imposes constrictions onto unwilling subjects.
Video examples
How to recognize a...
like atomic energy, artificial intelligence, and space travel meant for humanity's future. Contrasting with popular visions of shining progress, dystopian science fiction expanded to films, comics, and games. Robots turned against their creators
Video examples
Can you solve the...
In this dystopian world, your resistance group is humanity's last hope. Unfortunately, you've all been captured by the tyrannical rulers and brought to the ancient colosseum for their deadly entertainment. Before you're thrown into the dungeon,
Video examples
Yuval Noah Harari...
yeah already find out what a job is if we can redefine building communities or raising kids as a very important job and maybe it is the most important job of all and pay for that then many of these dystopian scenarios
Video examples
Go Ahead, Dream About...
And then there's social media. I can imagine some pretty frickin' dystopian scenarios where things like internet quizzes, dating apps, horoscopes, bots, all combine to drag you down deeper and deeper rabbit holes
Video examples
Inside the massive (and...
The spy bazaar has gone global. And at arms shows now around the world, you'll see companies displaying facial recognition technology and phone hacking software, displaying right next to traditional arms manufacturers with tanks and missiles. And walking around these arms shows, it's pretty easy to go down dystopian rabbit holes,
Video examples
An ode to the joys of...
Brooks and now we have digital screens who knows where we'll end up with the important thing is the story inside the story that will capture any reader and make them fly thousands of meters are gray from the ground and take them to a place only books can take you to for instance I've been to dystopian futures
Video examples
Andrew McAfee: Are...
are going to take us into a Utopian future, not a dystopian future. And to explain why, I want to pose a ridiculously broad question. I want to what have been the most important developments in human history? Now, I want to share some of the answers that I've gotten in response to this question.
Video examples
Elon Musk: A future...
Exactly. Take care of my grandmother and make sure -- It could obviously recognize everyone in the home. It could play catch with your kids. Yes. I mean, obviously, we need to be careful this doesn't become a dystopian situation. I think one of the things that's going to be important
Video examples
Why should you read "The...
meaning it theorizes about possible futures. This is a fundamental characteristic shared by both utopian and dystopian texts. The possible futures in Atwood's novels are usually negative, or dystopian, where the actions of a small group have destroyed society as we know it.
Video examples
Why should you read...
as a masterpiece of dystopian fiction. Dystopian fiction as a genre amplifies troubling features of the world around us and imagines the consequences of taking them to an extreme. In many dystopian stories, the government imposes constrictions onto unwilling subjects.
Video examples
How to recognize a...
like atomic energy, artificial intelligence, and space travel meant for humanity's future. Contrasting with popular visions of shining progress, dystopian science fiction expanded to films, comics, and games. Robots turned against their creators
Video examples
Can you solve the...
In this dystopian world, your resistance group is humanity's last hope. Unfortunately, you've all been captured by the tyrannical rulers and brought to the ancient colosseum for their deadly entertainment. Before you're thrown into the dungeon,
Video examples
Yuval Noah Harari...
yeah already find out what a job is if we can redefine building communities or raising kids as a very important job and maybe it is the most important job of all and pay for that then many of these dystopian scenarios
Video examples
Go Ahead, Dream About...
And then there's social media. I can imagine some pretty frickin' dystopian scenarios where things like internet quizzes, dating apps, horoscopes, bots, all combine to drag you down deeper and deeper rabbit holes
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Jess Row
American Novelist
My greatest fear about a world in which racial reassignment surgery becomes common is that it then becomes an expression of all kinds of class privilege. You have a truly dystopian society divided between the people who can afford to be racially altered and perfected and the ones who can't.
Quote examples
Oren Etzioni
American Businessman
The popular dystopian vision of AI is wrong for one simple reason: it equates intelligence with autonomy. That is, it assumes a smart computer will create its own goals and have its own will and will use its faster processing abilities and deep databases to beat humans at their own game.
Quote examples
Veronica Roth
American Author
I think it's fascinating to look at a world that an author has created that has sort of stemmed from the world now, and usually dystopian books point out something about our current world and exaggerates a tendency or a belief.
Quote examples
Chang-Rae Lee
South Korean Novelist
What's fun about a dystopian novel is that we can enjoy and be entertained. But that world is only slightly different, right? It's familiar enough to be recognizable, and skewed enough to give us pause.
Quote examples
Laura van den Berg
American Writer
The kind of dystopian books that I've always loved the most are the ones where you find yourself in a world that's less scorched-earth and instead a world that has just been made different.
Quote examples
Lauren Oliver
American Author
Dystopian novels help people process their fears about what the future might look like; further, they usually show that there is always hope, even in the bleakest future.
Quote examples
Ashish Vidyarthi
Indian Actor
It's a dystopian world where things aren't connected. But life feels light when we can communicate, joke or laugh on ourselves.
Quote examples
Leigh Bardugo
Israeli Author
There's been so much hunger for dystopian in the YA world, I really wasn't sure how Shadow and Bone' would be received.
Quote examples
Andrew Gower
English Actor
Orwell had a very accurate foresight of today's dystopian world we live in. If only he was around to see it.
Quote examples
John Twelve Hawks
Author
Although I write dystopian fiction, I don't believe in dystopian fantasies.
Quote examples
Jess Row
American Novelist
My greatest fear about a world in which racial reassignment surgery becomes common is that it then becomes an expression of all kinds of class privilege. You have a truly dystopian society divided between the people who can afford to be racially altered and perfected and the ones who can't.
Quote examples
Oren Etzioni
American Businessman
The popular dystopian vision of AI is wrong for one simple reason: it equates intelligence with autonomy. That is, it assumes a smart computer will create its own goals and have its own will and will use its faster processing abilities and deep databases to beat humans at their own game.
Quote examples
Veronica Roth
American Author
I think it's fascinating to look at a world that an author has created that has sort of stemmed from the world now, and usually dystopian books point out something about our current world and exaggerates a tendency or a belief.
Quote examples
Chang-Rae Lee
South Korean Novelist
What's fun about a dystopian novel is that we can enjoy and be entertained. But that world is only slightly different, right? It's familiar enough to be recognizable, and skewed enough to give us pause.
Quote examples
Laura van den Berg
American Writer
The kind of dystopian books that I've always loved the most are the ones where you find yourself in a world that's less scorched-earth and instead a world that has just been made different.
Quote examples
Lauren Oliver
American Author
Dystopian novels help people process their fears about what the future might look like; further, they usually show that there is always hope, even in the bleakest future.
Quote examples
Ashish Vidyarthi
Indian Actor
It's a dystopian world where things aren't connected. But life feels light when we can communicate, joke or laugh on ourselves.
Quote examples
Leigh Bardugo
Israeli Author
There's been so much hunger for dystopian in the YA world, I really wasn't sure how Shadow and Bone' would be received.
Quote examples
Andrew Gower
English Actor
Orwell had a very accurate foresight of today's dystopian world we live in. If only he was around to see it.
Quote examples
John Twelve Hawks
Author
Although I write dystopian fiction, I don't believe in dystopian fantasies.
Example 1 of 10
WordUp Chrome Extension
As you browse the web instantly look up words you don’t know.
Get Chrome Extension