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

He likes to paraphrase a Fyodor Dostoevsky quote, “The degree of civilization in a society is revealed by entering its prisons.”

From Los Angeles Times

In “Crime and Punishment,” Dostoevsky wrote that everyone needs a somewhere.

From Los Angeles Times

“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

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

From BBC

“A lot of it was inside jokes for ourselves,” said Studebaker, who paraphrased a wry quote from “The Gambler” by Fyodor Dostoevsky: “You gamble with your friends because you like to see them humiliated.”

From Los Angeles Times