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

The dangers of suppressing individualism for the sake of societal or institutional norms are amplified by the Orwellian nightmare fuel setting in which A Clockwork Orange takes place, wherein the conformer is exploited by corrupt actors at every turn. —Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2025

Critics contend that the VMT tax opens the door to all manner of Orwellian surveillance schemes. —Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025

This Orwellian hypocrisy is the madness that develops from decades of greed, corruption, moral failure and cultural anomie. —Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025

If all of this sounds creepy or Orwellian, think about this analogy: AI-interviews may be the recruitment equivalent of self-driving cars. —Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Orwellian

• chameleon
• machiavellian

Kids Definition

Orwellian

adjective

Or·​well·​ian

ȯr-ˈwel-ē-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