Etymology

Orwellian

Or·well·i·an
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Today it means: Resembling the totalitarian political methods decried in the works of writer George Orwell, particularly in the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four; characterized by use of misleading terminology, propaganda, censorship, surveillance and repression. Full definition →

First used 1950
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The story

From Orwell + -ian.

First known use, by meaning

  • 1950 Resembling the totalitarian political methods decried in the works of writer George Orwell, particularly in the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four; characterized by use of misleading terminology, propaganda, censorship, surveillance and repression.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.