Dickensian

/ dɪˈkɛnzɪən /

adjective

1. of Charles Dickens or his works
2. resembling or suggestive of conditions described in Dickens' novels, esp
   1. squalid and poverty-stricken

      working conditions were truly Dickensian

   2. characterized by jollity and conviviality

      a Dickensian scene round the Christmas tree

3. grotesquely comic, as some of the characters of Dickens

Example Sentences

He gained enemies along the way but also followers who cast him as a Dickensian hero willing to fight for the neediest.

From Los Angeles Times

California as a Dickensian, self-interested world of excess and disorder?

From Los Angeles Times

But maternal mortality also skyrocketed to the highest in Europe and thousands of children wound up in Dickensian orphanages, where endemic abuse and neglect left many dead and many more suffering from serious physical and mental problems.

From Slate

They’ll follow, or be impelled to follow, different paths through the war — paths that sometimes meet again with Dickensian coincidence — surviving through lucky breaks, daring escapes, the kindness of strangers, bribes, charm or cleverness, hiding or hiding in plain sight.

From Los Angeles Times

They say some of them do not even make minimum wage, their work conditions are Dickensian and that they are overburdened by complaints from litigation-happy patients.

From New York Times