Orwell

American  

[awr-wel, -wuhl] / ˈɔr wɛl, -wəl /

noun

1. George Eric Arthur Blair, 1903–50, English novelist and essayist.

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Orwell British  

/ ˈɔːwəl, ɔːˈwɛlɪən, -wɛl /

noun

1. George, real name Eric Arthur Blair. 1903–50, English novelist and essayist, born in India. He is notable for his social criticism, as in The Road to Wigan Pier (1932); his account of his experiences of the Spanish Civil War Homage to Catalonia (1938); and his satirical novels Animal Farm (1945), an allegory on the Russian Revolution, and 1984 (1949), in which he depicts an authoritarian state of the future

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Other Word Forms

• Orwellian
  adjective

Example Sentences

Lots of us grew up fearing the dystopian future of George Orwell, but it turns out the dystopian future of Aldous Huxley was much more likely.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

As the cautionary 1945 fable “Animal Farm” memorably shows, George Orwell had some thoughts about the Soviet Union and the terrible folly in politicized moralism.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Once upon a time, there was a world that made logical sense, one where the word “dystopia” was reserved for disaster films and George Orwell novels.

From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026

It was said he drove his car to a roundabout near the Orwell Hotel, turned around and drove past her next hiding place "at least another three times back and forth".

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

I suppose I did let slip that I like Orwell.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein