dystopia
n. countablen. a society that is ruled by a powerful government and is full of suffering, oppression, and fear. It is a common theme in science fiction stories.
n. a society characterized by human misery, oppression, and suffering, typically under the control of a totalitarian regime. Often used in the context of speculative fiction to explore the consequences of extreme political or technological developments.
The movie is set in a dark dystopia where the government controls everything.
Many modern novels use a dystopia as a setting to warn readers about the dangers of losing personal freedoms.
The author's depiction of a surveillance state serves as a cautionary dystopia, illustrating how the erosion of privacy can lead to the total subjugation of the individual by the state.
From dys- + -topia, as if from Ancient Greek δυσ- (dus-, “bad”) + τόπος (tópos, “place, region”) + -ία (-ía), based on utopia being reinterpreted as eu-topia.