big brother

n.

1. An older brother.
2. A man who assumes the role of an older brother, as by providing guidance or protection.
3. 1. also Big Brother An omnipresent, seemingly benevolent figure representing the oppressive control over individual lives exerted by an authoritarian government.
   2. A state, organization, or leader regarded in this manner.

[Sense 3, after Big Brother, a character in the novel 1984 by George Orwell.]

big-brotherly big'-broth'er·ly

(big BRUTH-uhr)

noun
1. An older brother.
2. A man who assumes the role of an older brother, as by providing guidance or protection.
3. Also Big Brother. An omnipresent, seemingly benevolent figure representing the oppressive control over individual lives exerted by an authoritarian government. A state, an organization, or a leader regarded in this manner.

Etymology
Sense 3, after Big Brother, a character in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.

Usage
"When all states comply with the federal mandates currently being enacted, there will exist a nationwide network that will make Big Brother look like Baby Huey." — Fay Faron, Technology keeps heat on deadbeat dad, The Dallas Morning News, 23 Aug 1996.

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noun

An absolute ruler, especially one who is harsh and oppressive: despot, dictator, führer, man on horseback, oppressor, strongman, totalitarian, tyrant. See over/under.

In George Orwell's 1984, the embodiment of state power is ‘Big Brother’, a middle-aged man pictured almost everywhere and said to be always watching the people. Big Brother was, thus, a powerful, literary image of totalitarianism. For Orwell, he combined elements of Hitler and Stalin, but perhaps also Lord Reith (the first chairman of the BBC), God, and Winston Churchill. The image of Big Brother has entered political language and propaganda and is used to connote the all-embracing power of the state.

— Lincoln Allison

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: an authoritarian leader

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