Orwellian

adjective

Or·​well·​ian ȯr-ˈwe-lē-ən 

: of, relating to, or suggestive of George Orwell or his writings

especially : relating to or suggestive of the dystopian reality depicted in the novel 1984

Privacy advocates … warn that advances in technology and data collection simply make an Orwellian slippery slope even more slippery.

—Barbara Presley Noble

Some critics view knowledge engineering as a threat, as the vanguard of an Orwellian future in which thinking machines take control.

—Robert Reinhold

The X-Files and its spooky televised brethren dwell in that political twilight zone where left and right meet and greet—an Orwellian, Kafka-esque alien nation that's populated with suspicious folks who have too much time on their hands and a deep sense that something is horribly, horribly wrong.

—David Wild

Now despised and feared, the Army has become a virtual occupation force in its own country, compounding what was already an Orwellian nightmare of spies, doublespeak propaganda, curfews, and petty state control of daily life.

—Clayton Jones

Orwellianism

ȯr-ˈwe-lē-ə-ˌni-zəm 

-ˈwel-yə-ˌni-zəm

noun

Orwellianism isn't just about big government; it's about authoritarianism coupled with lies.

—Gordon Bowker

Examples of Orwellian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Such piecemeal militarization is the defining feature of wartime Putinism, which is repressive but only episodically Orwellian. —Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 13 Mar. 2024

This lies in stark contrast to the usual draconian, Orwellian views on AI; at a high level, CodePath tries to use the technology for genuine good. —Steven Aquino, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024

The new dictatorship’s Orwellian tactics forced musicians and young people into hiding. —Matthew Dursum, SPIN, 20 Nov. 2023

Public perception of the CEO, who was perceived by some as Orwellian and driven by profits over ethics, fell to an all-time low. —Ryan Hogg, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2023

In 1983, as an Orwellian 1984 loomed, the American composer, choreographer and dancer Meredith Monk found herself in Berlin. —Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2023

Their concerns over better pay might strike a chord with older stars and starlets, but newer issues of streaming residuals and the intrusion of A.I. might seem Orwellian to Old Hollywood. —Chloe Berger, Fortune, 26 July 2023

Despite the technology’s potential for good, of course, there is a clear Orwellian thread in the idea of a future where bad actors can wiretap your brain. —Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 26 May 2023

Fox News aired allegations by right-wing commentators and politicians that the board was part of an Orwellian effort to control what Americans say and think. —Harold Maass, The Week, 11 May 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above