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.
DR20 contains part of the much larger panoptic spectroscopic map that the ongoing SDSS-V survey is continuing to build.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
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
I suppose the town has a modern jail now—perhaps even with panoptic galleries!
From The Charm of Ireland by Burton Egbert Stevenson
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
