totalitarianism

[ toh-tal-i-tair-ee-uh-niz-uhm ]
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noun
  1. the practices and principles of a totalitarian regime.

  2. absolute control by the state or a governing branch of a highly centralized institution.

  1. the character or quality of an autocratic or authoritarian individual, group, or government: the totalitarianism of the father.

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Origin of totalitarianism

1
First recorded in 1920–25; totalitarian + -ism

Other words from totalitarianism

  • to·tal·i·tar·i·an·ist, noun

Words Nearby totalitarianism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use totalitarianism in a sentence

Cultural definitions for totalitarianism

totalitarianism

[ (toh-tal-uh-tair-ee-uh-niz-uhm) ]


Domination by a government of all political, social, and economic activities in a nation. Totalitarianism is a phenomenon of the twentieth century: earlier forms of despotism and autocracy lacked the technical capacity to control every aspect of life. The term is applied both to fascist governments (see fascism) and to many forms of communism.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.