panoptic
Americanadjective
-
permitting the viewing of all parts or elements.
a panoptic stain used in microscopy; a panoptic aerial photograph of an enemy missile base.
-
considering all parts or elements; all inclusive.
a panoptic criticism of modern poetry.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of panoptic
1820–30; < Greek panópt(ēs) all-seeing + -ic. See pan-, optic
Vocabulary lists containing panoptic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As the movie progresses, the definition of God evolves into something sweeping and panoptic.
From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2024
South Korean authorities relied on a panoptic software they had been developing to manage “smart city” projects — a dashboard to collect and analyze data to improve urban life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2021
To call these morals or messages does a disservice to the novel’s rangy storytelling and panoptic curiosity.
From New York Times ● Feb. 11, 2019
Some passages unfold in the intimate first person, some in the inclusive, indicting second, and some in the panoptic third, but the over-all narrator remains elusive.
From The New Yorker ● May 9, 2016
I suppose the town has a modern jail now—perhaps even with panoptic galleries!
From The Charm of Ireland by Stevenson, Burton Egbert
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
