brave new world: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

Rarely, and almost always ironically. Its default meaning is negative and cautionary, referring to the hidden dangers of progress. A positive use would likely confuse listeners.

No. The phrase has entered common English as a cultural reference. However, understanding the novel provides deeper insight into its specific connotations of technological control, consumerism, and loss of individuality.

'Dystopia' is the general term for an imagined bad society. 'Brave new world' is a specific type of dystopia, one that is technologically advanced, seemingly orderly and happy, but fundamentally dehumanising and oppressive, often achieved through pleasure and conditioning rather than brute force.

In formal writing, it is often italicised when referring directly to the novel's title (Brave New World). When used as a common phrase in running text, it is typically written in standard roman type without quotes: 'We face a brave new world of AI.'

A dystopian future society, especially one created by technological or social advances that dehumanises or oppresses people.

Brave new world is usually formal, literary, journalistic in register.

Brave new world: in British English it is pronounced /ˌbreɪv ˌnjuː ˈwɜːld/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌbreɪv ˌnuː ˈwɜːrld/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.