Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
thought-police
noun
/ˈθɔt pəˈlis/
Definition
A hypothetical group that monitors and controls citizens’ thoughts and beliefs.
Examples
- The novel depicted a society where the thought-police controlled every aspect of citizens’ lives.
- People lived in fear of the thought-police, worried that any deviation from accepted beliefs could lead to punishment.
- Critics of the regime often compared it to a thought-police state, where freedom of expression was nonexistent.
Meaning
In a dystopian context, the thought-police enforce conformity to an ideology by suppressing independent thought and opinion.
Synonyms
- Ideological enforcers
- Thought enforcers
- Opinion suppressors
