Meaning & use
dystopic
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounliterary
Describing an imagined or real society in which life is harsh, unfair and badly controlled, often by oppressive rulers or technology.
Grammar: Usually placed before a noun: a dystopic city.
Patterns
- dystopic vision of something
The novel paints a dystopic picture of a city ruled by constant surveillance.
Critics called the film's dystopic world frighteningly believable.
The author imagined a dystopic future where water is rationed.
adjectivecomparablefigurative
Used loosely for any situation or place that feels grim, bleak and out of control.
Grammar: Informal figurative use: more dystopic.
Patterns
- feels dystopic
The empty office towers looked almost dystopic at dawn.
The traffic jam gave the city a dystopic atmosphere.
The sudden power cut made the whole street feel dystopic.
Word forms
| comparative | more dystopic |
|---|---|
| superlative | most dystopic |
Common combinations
- dystopic future
- The series imagines a dystopic future.
- dystopic vision
- His dystopic vision shocked readers.
- dystopic society
- The story is set in a dystopic society.
- dystopic novel
- She wrote a dystopic novel about climate collapse.
- dystopic landscape
- Burnt-out factories formed a dystopic landscape.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dystopian
- Dystopian is the standard form and is used much more often than dystopic.
- bleak
- Bleak describes any grim situation, but does not suggest a controlled, oppressive society.
- apocalyptic
- Apocalyptic implies total destruction, whereas dystopic suggests a society that still exists but is oppressive.
- nightmarish
- Nightmarish stresses a frightening experience and need not involve a political system.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: dystopic or dyspeptic?
dystopic vs dyspeptic
Dyspeptic means suffering from indigestion or bad-tempered, and is unrelated to society.
Practice
The film shows a ___ future in which the government controls every citizen's movement.
Choose one answer.
Dystopic means grim and oppressively controlled. Utopic and idyllic are the opposite, and euphoric describes a feeling.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dystopic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.