May we count your visit with Google Analytics? It uses cookies and sends visit data to Google. You can change this any time under Cookie choices. Privacy

 Browse the A to Z list

Utopia

n. hopeful, joyful literary

What it means

Meaning 1

An imagined society in which life is ideally just, peaceful, and flourishing.

Reach for it when Discussing a complete social ideal, whether as aspiration or critique.

Their utopia placed shared gardens and safe walking routes at every neighborhood's center.

Meaning 2

A place or condition that seems perfectly suited to a particular group.

Reach for it when Using the word warmly or playfully for an exceptionally desirable setting.

With free benches, spare parts, and patient mentors, the workshop was a tinker's utopia.

Words to choose between 8

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2
playful
everyday
warm
formal
literary

Meaning 1: An imagined society in which life is ideally just, peaceful, and flourishing.

  • everyday

    perfect world

    Fits when the ideal should sound conversational

    Not when can dismiss a proposal as unrealistic

  • warm

    paradise

    Fits when delight and ease matter more than social design

    Not when often religious or natural rather than institutional

  • formal

    ideal society

    Fits when social and political perfection is stated neutrally

    Not when an explanatory phrase without utopia's imaginative history

  • literary

    commonwealth

    Fits when collective wellbeing and civic order are central

    Not when real commonwealths are not necessarily ideal

Meaning 2: A place or condition that seems perfectly suited to a particular group.

  • playful

    dreamland

    Fits when an idealized place is described lightly

    Not when often suggests fantasy or impracticality

  • playful

    sweet spot

    Fits when a setting perfectly fits one activity

    Not when too casual for a political vision

  • warm

    haven

    Fits when safety and welcome define the place

    Not when does not imply complete perfection

  • literary

    idyll

    Fits when peaceful beauty defines the ideal condition

    Not when narrower and usually rural or domestic

Opposites 3

  • dystopia
  • nightmare
  • ordeal

Common phrases 3

  • social utopia

    The novel's social utopia depends on universal care work.

  • vision of utopia

    Her vision of utopia begins with shade, water, and public trust.

  • a gardener's utopia

    The reclaimed rail yard became a gardener's utopia.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated