Definition of UTOPIA (original) (raw)

often capitalized : a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions

: an impractical scheme for social improvement

: an imaginary and indefinitely remote place

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There’s quite literally no place like utopia. In 1516, English humanist Sir Thomas More published a book titled Utopia, which compared social and economic conditions in Europe with those of an ideal society on an imaginary island located off the coast of the Americas. More wanted to imply that the perfect conditions on his fictional island could never really exist, so he called it “Utopia,” a name he created by combining the Greek words ou (“not, no”) and topos (“place”). The earliest generic use of utopia was for an imaginary and indefinitely remote place. The current use of utopia, referring to an ideal place or society, was inspired by More’s description of Utopia’s perfection.

Synonyms

Examples of utopia in a Sentence

The town's founders wanted to create a Christian utopia. It's a nice place to live, but it's no Utopia.

Recent Examples on the Web

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Considered by many to be a jewel in the University of North Carolina system, its founders envisioned a salon-like utopia, where artists would pass their craft on to young performers. —Sara Coello, Charlotte Observer, 3 Feb. 2025 With Carlile’s strong hand for curation at play, Girls Just Wanna Weekend is a kind of a festival utopia for women, or for anyone who likes women. —Chris Willman, Variety, 23 Jan. 2025 Major League Baseball has been going strong for a century and a half, and each team’s regular season lasts 162 games, yet the sport’s version of performance utopia — a perfect game — has only happened 24 times. —The Athletic Uk Staff, The Athletic, 2 Jan. 2025 People will dream of utopias rather than dystopias, imagining worlds where cooperation and care are at the forefront. —Dossé-Via Trenou, refinery29.com, 19 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for utopia