Big Brother

noun

Definition of Big Brothernext
1
as in Big Brotherism

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in monocrat

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of Big Brother Among the women featured on the cast are Aaryn Williams, the former Big Brother season 15 contestant who had a controversial run on the competition show due to racist remarks. — Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026 That the Netflix version of what can now be best understood as a reboot of a famous franchise feels less like social psychology and more like a high-concept season of Big Brother is no surprise. — Judy Berman, Time, 21 Oct. 2026 At the time of the incident, Brand was hosting Channel 4 show Big Brother’s EFourum, later renamed Big Brother’s Big Mouth. — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026 These are the people who sent Alison Hammond home from Big Brother in week two. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026 How does this deep, deep run on Big Brother make up for not making it onto Wonka’s The Golden Ticket? — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Big Brother
  1. fascism
  2. totalitarian
  3. Nazism
  4. authoritarian
  5. tyranny
  6. potentate
  7. dictatorship
  8. autocrat
Noun
  • There never was a better moment for a movement aimed at resisting fascism, preventing war and eliminating poverty at home.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Many immigrants who arrived in the United States from Europe, including some Italians who came during the two years between Mussolini’s March on Rome and the passage of the Immigration Act of 1924, left Italy because of the rise of fascism.
    — Ed Simon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of fascism
Noun
  • But, ten years later, his embrace of near-totalitarian control bears the deep imprint of his most personal beliefs about force, weakness, faith, and order.
    — Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2022
  • Ridicule only appeals to cool kids on coasts and the college towns and totalitarians.
    — Letters to the Editor, Orange County Register, 17 Oct. 2020
Definition of totalitarian
Noun
  • President Roosevelt also led the United States through the Second World War, mobilizing the Nation after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and serving as Commander-in-Chief throughout the Allied effort to defeat Nazism and fascism.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 11 June 2026
  • The writing includes numerical codes and abbreviations that reference Nazism, as well as messages about past mass shootings.
    — Brynn Gingras, CNN Money, 19 May 2026
Definition of Nazism
Noun
  • This was demonstrated in Hungary in April, when opposition leader Péter Magyar convincingly won an election against a long-ruling, right-wing authoritarian.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 9 Sep. 2026
  • And the solution is simply to replace the corrupt, racist authoritarian with a governing party that respects the rule of law, equality, and basic decency.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of authoritarian
Noun
  • Americans in 1940, although not yet at war, were the Arsenal of Democracy that likely saved the world from fascist tyranny.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
  • But, as Roy points out, finding love with Ellen actually gives Brian the strength to stand up to Lovat’s tyranny rather than bow to it.
    — Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of tyranny
Noun
  • The main drama involves a rural teen-age tee girl who recognizes the resort’s president as the potentate who evicted her family from their land.
    — Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2026
  • With 775 rooms, the palace also provides office space for the royal bureaucracy and hosts lavish state dinners for visiting presidents and potentates.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 26 June 2026
Definition of potentate
Noun
  • His raspy voice, his beard, his missing finger and the cadence of his speech have been fixtures of Brazilian public life since Brazil’s first direct presidential election after the dictatorship ended in 1985.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
  • This strategy is unlikely to work on liberal Israelis, who view this election as the last chance to save their homeland from sliding into dictatorship.
    — Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of dictatorship
Noun
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has responded defiantly, saying Trump has an affinity for autocrats.
    — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • These innovations may reduce the number of bureaucrats autocrats need.
    — Seva Gunitsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of autocrat

Browse Nearby Words

big boys
Big Brother
Big Brotherism
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Big Brother.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Big%20Brother. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of disparate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All