1. A circular prison building with a central watchtower from which all cells can be observed at once; originally designed by Jeremy Bentham in the late 18th century.
Usage: historical; architecture
2. Any system or place of total surveillance in which people are constantly watched or monitored, often without knowing when they are being observed.
Usage: figurative; modern usage

Examples

• Bentham's panopticon design was intended to improve prison discipline through constant observation.
• Modern cities with security cameras everywhere have been compared to a digital panopticon.
• The panopticon concept has influenced discussions about workplace monitoring and employee privacy.
• Philosophers have used the panopticon as a metaphor for how power operates in society.
• The original panopticon was never fully built as Bentham envisioned it.
• Social media platforms create a kind of panopticon where users are constantly tracked and analyzed.