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

Essentially, the question for the justices is whether this new technique is ingenious, Orwellian, or both? — Nina Totenberg, NPR, 9 June 2026

Essentially the question before the high court is whether that technique is ingenious, Orwellian, or both? — Nina Totenberg, NPR, 27 Apr. 2026

Against the Orwellian setting, the mindless masses follow Big Brother, symbolically meant to be IBM, which had grabbed the early lead in the burgeoning personal computer sales market. — Maury Brown, Forbes.com, 8 Feb. 2026

People can start to make sure that their identification is in order (as Orwellian as that sounds) and help others to do so as well. — Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026

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