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Glite Dictionary
📺 A large display 👁️ A monitoring screen
telescreen

telescreen

8.5
A screen that shows images and watches people to record their actions
  • noun
  • /ˈtɛlɪˌskrin/
translation icon : pantalla de vigilancia
  • In the dystopian world of 1984, the telescreen constantly monitors citizens while displaying propaganda.

Examples

  • Back in the flat, he stepped quickly past the telescreen and sat down at the table again, still rubbing his neck.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • He frowns in sudden recollection, goes to the telescreen.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The music from the telescreen had stopped.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The voice from the telescreen paused.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Winston walked over to the window, keeping his back to the telescreen.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • In the telescreen, a shape rose from the ground, man-shaped but taller than most men.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The telescreen struck fourteen.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Winston felt uneasy knowing the telescreen was watching him even in the privacy of his home.

  • The government's telescreen broadcasts news and advertisements to keep the population under control.

Synonyms

monitor
vstelescreen
118 3.3

A screen that shows pictures from a computer

also records and watches people for surveillance purposes
surveillance system
vstelescreen
  • Specialized
13 3.9

A group of cameras and devices that watch people or places for safety

is also a screen that displays images while actively watching people
viewscreen
vstelescreen
7 7.8

A flat screen that shows images or video in a control room

also watches and records people for surveillance rather than just display
video display
vstelescreen
2 3.4

A screen that shows text, photos, or moving pictures

also watches people as part of surveillance not just showing images
television monitor
vstelescreen
  • Specialized
2 2.8

A screen in a studio that shows live TV for people to watch

is also used to show images and to watch people for security
tv monitor
vstelescreen
  • Specialized
1 3.0

A screen in a TV studio used to watch the live broadcast

is also a screen that watches people for surveillance as well as displays images

How Advanced

telescreen
8.5

Surface Forms

telescreen singular
telescreens plural

Morphology

telescreen = screen (semi-transparent) = tele + screen

The tele- + screen structure is clear, but the surveillance-monitoring function is a specialized Orwellian extension not directly predictable from the parts.

Etymology

The word telescreen was made famous by George Orwell's book '1984' and joins tele- 'far' with screen 'a surface that shows pictures', so it describes a screen that not only shows images but can also watch or listen to people.