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

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Selling infrastructure to the panopticon was not a safe play, and investors were skittish. Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025 And in some ways the panopticon of internet gossiping at such a scale shows all the goods and evils that gossiping has to offer. Kelsey McKinney, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2025 Holland is transforming three of its iconic 19th-century panopticon former prisons into arts and cultural centers, reports The Guardian. The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 8 Jan. 2025 The Breda panopticon was acquired by Being and VDD Project Development and is set to open in 2028 as an exhibition space for audio-visual projects. The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 8 Jan. 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Panopticon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/panopticon. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

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