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utopia

 - 5 dictionary results

U⋅to⋅pi⋅a

  [yoo-toh-pee-uh]
Use utopia in a Sentence
–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.
Origin:
< NL (1516) < Gk ou not + tóp(os) a place + -ia -y 3
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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u·to·pi·a   (yōō-tō'pē-ə)   
n.  

    1. often Utopia An ideally perfect place, especially in its social, political, and moral aspects.

    2. A work of fiction describing a utopia.

  2. An impractical, idealistic scheme for social and political reform.


[New Latin Ūtopia, imaginary island in Utopia by Sir Thomas More : Greek ou, not, no; see aiw- in Indo-European roots + Greek topos, place.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

Utopia

(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.”

Note: By extension, a “utopia” is any ideal state.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

utopia 
1551, from Mod.L. Utopia, lit. "nowhere," coined by Thomas More (and used as title of his book, 1516, about an imaginary island enjoying perfect legal, social, and political systems), from Gk. ou "not" + topos "place." Extended to "any perfect place," 1613. Utopian, as a noun meaning "visionary idealist," is first recorded c.1873.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

utopia

an ideal commonwealth whose inhabitants exist under seemingly perfect conditions. Hence "utopian" and "utopianism" are words used to denote visionary reform that tends to be impossibly idealistic.

Learn more about utopia with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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