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
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
Self-awareness—the kind cultivated by the digital panopticon and a consumerist culture that constantly directs our attention toward ourselves and our choices—tells us that there is something shameful about the epic scale.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for panopticon
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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
Self-awareness—the kind cultivated by the digital panopticon and a consumerist culture that constantly directs our attention toward ourselves and our choices—tells us that there is something shameful about the epic scale.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for panopticon
Cite this Entry
“Panopticon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/panopticon. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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