Dostoevsky

American  

[dos-tuh-yef-skee, duhs-, duh-stuh-yef-skyee] / ˌdɒs təˈyɛf ski, ˌdʌs-, dʌ stʌˈyɛf skyi /

Or Dostoyevsky,

noun

1. Fyodor Mikhailovich 1821–81, Russian novelist.

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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)

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Compare meaning

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

• Tolstoy vs. Dostoevsky

Example Sentences

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

It’s a treasure trove of literary titans from Franz Kafka to Fyodor Dostoevsky.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2024

She’s teaching Dostoevsky in her writing seminar and when she confers with Christopher their dialogue sounds as though they’re composing it for the page as much as for each other.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2023

“The Russians, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, are constantly sold out. And Japanese literature has really had a huge resurgence.”

From Seattle Times • May 25, 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