Utopia

[yoo-toh-pee-uh]

noun

1. an imaginary island described in Sir Thomas More's Utopia (1516) as enjoying perfection in law, politics, etc.

2. (usually lowercase),  an ideal place or state.

3. (usually lowercase),  any visionary system of political or social perfection.

Utopia

/ juːˈtəʊpɪə /

noun

1. (sometimes not capital) any real or imaginary society, place, state, etc, considered to be perfect or ideal

Utopia

1. (1516) A book by Sir Thomas More that describes an imaginary ideal society free of poverty and suffering. The expression utopia is coined from Greek words and means “no place.”

By extension, a “utopia” is any ideal state.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Utopia¹

< New Latin (1516) < Greek ou not + tóp ( os ) a place + -ia -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of Utopia¹

C16: from New Latin Utopia (coined by Sir Thomas More in 1516 as the title of his book that described an imaginary island representing the perfect society), literally: no place, from Greek ou not + topos a place

Example Sentences

"We have seen a greater number of unaccompanied minors this year than last," according to Celestin Pichaud, coordinator of Utopia 56.

From BBC

In his 1974 book, Anarchy, State, and Utopia, he asked his readers: would you willingly plug your brain into a simulated "experience machine" if you could live out your deepest desires?

From Salon

Their exhibition Hakuna Utopia features the works of seven artists exploring themes of apocalypse and resilience – some in quite abstract ways - as they respond to the daily challenges endured by Nairobi’s six million residents.

From BBC

The marvelous Utopia Orchestra in the pit was composed of leading players from top European ensembles.

From Los Angeles Times

Last year he scored his first UK number one album with Utopia, which was released a week after a planned show in front of Egypt's pyramids was cancelled.

From BBC

Related Words

• bliss 
• paradise 

When To Use

What is Utopia?

Utopia is an ideal place or state, usually one that is unrealistic or unattainable. For example, if you love playing basketball and dislike studying, your utopia might be a place where everyone is supposed to play basketball all day and there is no school. Utopia, capitalized, is the name for a fictional island from Sir Thomas More’s story Utopia, which is said to be a perfect society. The book describes the society in detail, including laws, customs, and religion.Utopia is also any imagined perfect society or political system. It is often used when discussing politics and law to describe an unreachable goal or something that is overly visionary.Example: We don’t live in some utopia where everyone has access to clean water.