big brother: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B2Formal, journalistic, political discourse; sometimes informal/colloquial when used metaphorically.
Quick answer
What does “big brother” mean?
An authoritarian leader, government, or organization that monitors and controls people's lives, often in a secretive or oppressive manner.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
An authoritarian leader, government, or organization that monitors and controls people's lives, often in a secretive or oppressive manner.
Any person, system, or entity exercising intrusive surveillance or excessive control, often invoking a sense of paternalistic authority and loss of individual privacy.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is identical in meaning and frequency. The cultural reference to Orwell is equally strong in both varieties.
Connotations
Strongly negative political/social connotations in both varieties. In non-political contexts, 'big brother' (lowercase) retains its familial meaning of an older male sibling.
Frequency
Equally common in political and media discourse in both the UK and US.
Grammar
How to Use “big brother” in a Sentence
Big Brother + verb (e.g., watches, controls, knows)live under + Big Brothera + Big Brother + state/societyVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “big brother” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- N/A – primarily a noun phrase.
American English
- N/A – primarily a noun phrase.
adverb
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
adjective
British English
- They live in a big-brother society.
- The report warned of big-brother tendencies in the new legislation.
American English
- The company has a big-brother approach to employee productivity.
- She criticized the policy's big-brother implications.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used critically to describe overbearing corporate monitoring of employees (e.g., 'The new keystroke logging software is pure big brother.').
Academic
Common in political science, sociology, and media studies to discuss surveillance, privacy, and authoritarianism.
Everyday
Used metaphorically to complain about intrusive monitoring (e.g., 'My mum checking my location feels like big brother.').
Technical
Used in computing and cybersecurity to describe pervasive data collection and user tracking systems.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “big brother”
- Using it with a positive connotation (e.g., 'The government's new big brother program will keep us safe.' – this is ironic or mistaken).
- Confusing the capitalized proper noun (the concept) with the uncapitalized noun phrase (an older sibling).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
When referring specifically to the Orwellian concept or personification of authority, it is typically capitalized ('Big Brother'). When used generically or metaphorically ('a big brother state'), it is often not capitalized.
In its literal, familial sense, yes (a protective older sibling). However, in its socio-political sense derived from Orwell, it is exclusively negative, implying oppressive surveillance and control.
'Big Brother' (capitalized) refers to the specific dystopian concept. 'big brother' (lowercase) usually refers to an older male sibling or, adjectivally, to systems reminiscent of the concept (e.g., 'big brother software').
Yes, it is widely used in discussions about technology, corporate culture, and social media to critique any system of pervasive monitoring and data collection, e.g., 'social media big brother'.
An authoritarian leader, government, or organization that monitors and controls people's lives, often in a secretive or oppressive manner.
Big brother is usually formal, journalistic, political discourse; sometimes informal/colloquial when used metaphorically. in register.
Big brother: in British English it is pronounced /ˌbɪɡ ˈbrʌð.ər/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌbɪɡ ˈbrʌð.ɚ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Big Brother is watching you.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a VERY LARGE (BIG) older brother who doesn't just look after you, but constantly spies on you and tells you what to do.
Conceptual Metaphor
AUTHORITY IS A WATCHFUL PARENT / SURVEILLANCE IS OMNIPRESENT SIGHT.
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary source of the term 'Big Brother' in its modern sense?