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

But that key aspect of its world-building doesn’t square with the film’s 21st-century emphasis on surveillance culture and the gamification of the panopticon. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 11 Nov. 2025

All the girls’ rooms were upstairs, opening off a balcony that circled a large inner courtyard, so everyone could see everyone, a panopticon nobody wanted in ugly cream vinyl tile. —Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025

Cities are the most potent nodes of this global animal panopticon. —Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 7 Sep. 2025

Langley envisions a benevolent American panopticon where everyone feels safe and cities use all the data at their disposal to improve our quality of life. —Thomas Brewster, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

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