thought crime

Frequency: 6.54.5 per million words

The criminal offense of holding beliefs or doubts that are contrary to the official dogma.

thoughtthought + NOUN

Categories:

crime

Examples (10)

  • In the totalitarian state, any deviation from official ideology was deemed a thought crime.
  • Winston knew that even contemplating rebellion was a severe thought crime.
  • The Party's omnipresent surveillance sought to detect and punish every thought crime.
  • To hold a private opinion contrary to the dogma was the ultimate thought crime.
  • He lived in perpetual fear of committing an unconscious thought crime.
  • The very notion of independent thinking was branded a thought crime by the regime.
  • Children were taught from an early age to report any signs of thought crime.
  • The punishment for thought crime was often severe, leading to re-education or disappearance.
  • She secretly harbored forbidden ideas, aware that they amounted to a serious thought crime.
  • The system was designed to eradicate all individual thought crime before it could manifest.