The meaning of DYSTOPIAN is of, relating to, or being an imagined world or society in which people lead dehumanized, fearful lives : relating to or characteristic of a dystopia.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a "dystopia" is: "An imaginary place or condition in which everything is as bad as possible; opp. UTOPIA (cf. CACOTOPIA).

Dystopian books and movies have been a sci-fi staple for decades. The play is set in a dystopian society in which two policemen are investigating a string of horrific crimes involving children.

DYSTOPIAN definition: resembling or relating to a dystopia. See examples of dystopian used in a sentence.

Definition of dystopian adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. typical of or featuring an imaginary place or state in which everything is extremely bad or unpleasant. Join …

dystopia in British English (dɪsˈtəʊpɪə ) noun an imaginary place where everything is as bad as it can be

Aug 4, 2025 · dystopian (comparative more dystopian, superlative most dystopian) Of or pertaining to a dystopia. quotations

1. Of or relating to a dystopia. 2. Dire; grim: "AIDS is one of the dystopian harbingers of the global village" (Susan Sontag).

"Utopian" describes a society that's conceived to be perfect. Dystopian is the exact opposite — it describes an imaginary society that is as dehumanizing and as unpleasant as possible.

DYSTOPIA meaning: an imaginary place where people are unhappy and usually afraid because they are not treated fairly