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Synonyms

panoptic

American  
[pan-op-tik] / pænˈɒp tɪk /
Often panoptical

adjective

  1. permitting the viewing of all parts or elements.

    a panoptic stain used in microscopy; a panoptic aerial photograph of an enemy missile base.

  2. considering all parts or elements; all inclusive.

    a panoptic criticism of modern poetry.
panoptic British  
/ pænˈɒptɪk /

adjective

  1. taking in all parts, aspects, etc, in a single view; all-embracing

    a panoptic survey
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • panoptically adverb

Etymology

Origin of panoptic

1820–30; < Greek panópt(ēs) all-seeing + -ic. See pan-, optic

Vocabulary lists containing panoptic

Common Senses: Op, Ops, Opt ("Sight")

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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

Some are all-seeing, panoptic; others are yearning and blinkered, unable to return the gaze they attract.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 14, 2019

There are no mobile phones, and none of the panoptic apparatus of the modern surveillance state.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 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.