panopticon

noun

pan·​op·​ti·​con pə-ˈnäp-ti-ˌkän How to pronounce panopticon (audio)
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

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As Tang argues, the Taiwanese approach is the exact opposite of the artificial intelligence–enabled panopticon currently under construction in mainland China. Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 18 May 2021 Immigration lawyers told me that such an expansion would create a frightening digital panopticon, not just for the 3.7 million people awaiting immigration hearings and the millions more who have managed to avoid immigration enforcement measures but for the wider population. Ronan Farrow, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2024 His early life is thoroughly archived, thanks to growing up under the eyes of an online panopticon that spares no one. Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2024 Wright’s meticulous history operates as a sort of panopticon on the events leading up to that fateful day, spanning more than five decades and a geopolitical guest list that includes everyone from the counterterrorism chief of the F.B.I. to the anonymous foot soldiers of Al Qaeda. New York Times, 8 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for panopticon 

Word History

First Known Use

1742, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of panopticon was in 1742

Dictionary Entries Near panopticon

Cite this Entry

“Panopticon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/panopticon. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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