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 The drag performer and reality star, 35, quickly became one of the breakout personalities of Big Brother 28 despite being the season’s third evictee. — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026 Salina EsTittties from RuPaul’s Drag Race) talks about being voted out of the Big Brother house unanimously. — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 31 July 2026 This post contains details on Big Brother Season 28, Episode 12, which aired on Thursday, July 30. — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 30 July 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
  • Brogin, who said at the time that the law was akin to fascism, fought the city, unsuccessfully.
    — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
  • Ben-Ghiat’s comparative work on fascism does not function as a morality play either.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 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
  • Yet this year so far has been a dicey one for the Russian authoritarian.
    — Daniel DePetris, Mercury News, 23 May 2026
  • If calling a politician an aspiring authoritarian is tantamount to inciting their murder, then doing so is irresponsible even if the charge is true.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
Definition of authoritarian
Noun
  • Extremists connected these claims to older ideas about government tyranny, social control and corrupt elites.
    — Art Jipson, The Conversation, 30 July 2026
  • Indeed, by then, the hypnotic spell had been cast across all of Europe, including on those liberated from the drab tyrannies of actually existing socialism.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026
Definition of tyranny
Noun
  • 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
  • The game is a playground for Russian oligarchs, Middle Eastern potentates, and Latin American strongmen—his people.
    — Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2026
Definition of potentate
Noun
  • None of Argentina’s players had been born when the country’s military dictatorship invaded the Malvinas in 1982, holding the islands for 73 days before British forces recaptured them in a war that killed 649 Argentine and 255 British troops.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
  • Because Iran is a theocratic dictatorship that routinely arrests and in some cases executes journalists, Western reporters hoping to cover the country must either work clandestinely or submit to government supervision.
    — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026
Definition of dictatorship
Noun
  • But with April’s decisive popular vote against longtime autocrat Viktor Orbán, Hungary now signals hope for democratic renewal and recovery.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 22 July 2026
  • Typically reserved for autocrats and crime bosses, sanctions can be devastating.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 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 6 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of torpor

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
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
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All