1984 en · PROPN
Pronunciation
- /ˌnaɪn.tinˌeɪ.tiˈfɔɹ/ (General-American)
- (General-American) audio
- (General-American) audio
- /ˌnaɪn.tiːnˌeɪ.tiˈfɔː/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From the title of George Orwell’s 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. Compare Orwellian.
Meanings
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(attributive, sometimes) A totalitarian or dystopic society, especially when characterised by intense surveillance of its citizens.
Yet these proposals are already being presented by the Conservatives - and many on the left - as yet another step into 1984, part of a proto-tyrannical package ranging from CCTV cameras to Asbos to the DNA database that they cite as evidence Britain is sleepwalking into a surveillance society.
2007 January 15, Johann Hari, “Johann Hari: When the Government acts, why do we always assume there is something to fear?”, in The Independent, archived from the original on 08 Jul 2022:Those who seek to prevent 2010 from becoming 1984 will want to arm themselves with this valuable book.
2010, Peter Dale Scott, quoted in David Ray Griffin, Cognitive InfiltrationMany a thoughtful man, musing over his second Martini and the evening paper, has had the uneasy feeling that 1984 was much closer.
1954 June 28, Time:literally 1984
Deriveds
1984esque · 1984ish · 1984-ish · 1984-esque