authoritarian

American  

[uh-thawr-i-tair-ee-uhn, uh-thor-] / əˌθɔr ɪˈtɛər i ən, əˌθɒr- /

adjective

1. favoring complete obedience or subjection to authority as opposed to individual freedom.

   authoritarian principles; authoritarian attitudes.

2. of or relating to a governmental or political system, principle, or practice in which individual freedom is held as completely subordinate to the power or authority of the state, centered either in one person or a small group that is not constitutionally accountable to the people.

3. exercising complete or almost complete control over the will of another or of others.

   an authoritarian parent.

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noun

• authoritarians
  plural

1. a person who favors or acts according to authoritarian principles.

authoritarian British  

/ ɔːˌθɒrɪˈtɛərɪən /

adjective

1. favouring, denoting, or characterized by strict obedience to authority

2. favouring, denoting, or relating to government by a small elite with wide powers

3. despotic; dictatorial; domineering

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noun

1. a person who favours or practises authoritarian policies

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antiauthoritarianism
  noun
• authoritarianism
  noun
• antiauthoritarian
  adjective
• nonauthoritarian
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• authoritarians
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of authoritarian

First recorded in 1875–80; authorit(y) + -arian

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Explanation

If your teacher orders you to detention every time you show up to class with a dull pencil, you could probably describe her as an authoritarian — a ruler who prefers order to freedom. Authoritarian and authority both begin with author, which comes from an ancient Latin word meaning "master," "teacher," or "leader." The connection between authoritarian and master is obvious enough, and you can think of an author as the master of the fictional world she creates. Authoritarian is also an adjective. That teacher with the rule against dull pencils? You can use the noun form to say that she's an authoritarian, or you can use an adjective and skip the "an": "She's authoritarian."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

authoritarian authoritarians

Those words sounded then — and sound now — like an authoritarian gaffe.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

The rivalry between India and China, the world’s largest democracy and largest authoritarian state, dates to the founding of their modern nations in the 1940s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

“It’s a sick, authoritarian dance,” she told a reporter, “but I loved it.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

But some participants welcomed the dialogue as a rare instance of open debate in a country accustomed to authoritarian rule.

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

“That is none of your business. Take me home!” she ordered, copying the authoritarian tone her grandfather employed with everyone he considered beneath his social station.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

Thanks to Judge Charles Ouslander for his asylum ruling, which shows the U.S. can still be a beacon for liberty and a refuge for dissidents from the world’s cruel authoritarians.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026

As the recently failed military coup in South Korea shows, authoritarians want to believe that shock-and-awe tactics work best, but they can be risky endeavors that blow up in the leader's face.

From Salon ● Dec. 5, 2024

“It also sends a strong message to authoritarians around the world that the free world remains united,” he said.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 15, 2023

She said it was "important that people can hear what I have to say", adding that she is "standing up to authoritarians who want to silence debate".

From BBC ● May 30, 2023

We are not authoritarians, but we must be organizers.

From Violence and the Labor Movement by Robert Hunter

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Related Words

• autocratic
• dictatorial
• imperious
• rigid
• strict
• totalitarian
• tyrannical

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