Dostoevsky

American  

[dos-tuh-yef-skee, duhs-, duh-stuh-yef-skyee] / ˌdɒs təˈjɛf ski, ˌdʌs-, dʌ stʌˈjɛf skji /

Or Dostoyevsky,

noun

1. Fyodor Mikhailovich 1821–81, Russian novelist.

---

Dostoevsky British  

/ dəstaˈjɛfskij, ˌdɒstɔɪˈɛfskɪ /

noun

1. Fyodor Mikhailovich (ˈfjɔdər miˈxajləvitʃ). 1821–81, Russian novelist, the psychological perception of whose works has greatly influenced the subsequent development of the novel. His best-known works are Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1868), The Possessed (1871), and The Brothers Karamazov (1879–80)

---

Compare meaning

How does dostoevsky compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Tolstoy vs. Dostoevsky

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Dostoevsky

Dostoevsky follows the narrator over four nights and a morning during which he ceases living in his imagination and embraces reality for the first time.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

One of the most popular is called “Pursuing the Good Life”; this semester, readings included the Bible, Plato, Rousseau, Nietzsche and Dostoevsky, along with poetry by Sylvia Plath and music by Beethoven.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 21, 2026

“The Idiot” is a nearly five-hour slog by a Polish-Russian contemporary of Shostakovich about another Dostoevsky outsider who succumbs to visions of grandeur.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2024

He explained how Ms Kheris got the judge to ask Fourniret about his passion for Dostoevsky, convincing him to start to open up.

From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2023

He said that everything there was to know about life was in The Brothers Karamazov, by Feodor Dostoevsky.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---