panopticon

noun

pan·​op·​ti·​con pə-ˈnäp-ti-ˌkän 

pa-

plural panopticons

1

: an optical instrument combining the telescope and microscope

2

: a circular prison built with cells arranged radially so that a guard at a central position can see all the prisoners

Examples of panopticon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Many of the fragments spreading through the digital panopticon comprise real footage of real events, but their cumulative effect is far from a cogent portrait. —Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2026

Her social media panopticon is already in so many ways bigger than the 600 movie theaters that an independent film might play in. —Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 11 Mar. 2026

The canniest fictional dissection of femininity and the panopticon of social media arrives this spring in Yesteryear (Knopf), a rollicking satirical debut from Caro Claire Burke. —Chloe Schama, Vogue, 24 Jan. 2026

That network, an investigation by 404 Media found, has been available to local and federal police and enforcement agencies like ICE — leaving many worried that their Ring doorbell cams are now feeding into a government panopticon. —Joe Wilkins Published Jan 21, Futurism, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1742, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for panopticon

• agamemnon
• automaton
• diencephalon
• phenomenon
• aileron
• antiphon
• autobahn
• carillon
• castellan
• celadon
• cephalon
• chitosan