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Orwellian

 - 3 dictionary results

Or⋅well⋅i⋅an

  [awr-wel-ee-uhn]
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–adjective
of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or resembling the literary work of George Orwell or the totalitarian future described in his antiutopian novel 1984 (1949).
Origin:
1945–50; G. Orwell + -ian
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Or·well·i·an   (ôr-wěl'ē-ən)   
adj.  Of, relating to, or evocative of the works of George Orwell, especially the satirical novel 1984, which depicts a futuristic totalitarian state.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

Orwellian 
1950 (first attested in Mary McCarthy), from Eng. author George Orwell (pseudonym of Eric Blair, 1903-50), esp. in ref. to his novel "1984." Ironically, it has come to be used in ref. to the totalitarian systems he satirized.
"It is as if George Orwell had conceived the nightmare instead of analyzed it, helped to create it instead of helping to dispel its euphemistic thrall." [Clive James]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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