authoritarian
Americanadjective
-
favoring complete obedience or subjection to authority as opposed to individual freedom.
authoritarian principles; authoritarian attitudes.
-
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.
-
exercising complete or almost complete control over the will of another or of others.
an authoritarian parent.
noun
adjective
-
favouring, denoting, or characterized by strict obedience to authority
-
favouring, denoting, or relating to government by a small elite with wide powers
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despotic; dictatorial; domineering
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of authoritarian
First recorded in 1875–80; authorit(y) + -arian
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."
Vocabulary lists containing authoritarian
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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Power Suffix: -arian
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Government
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Authoritarian turns can reverse themselves, and the V-Dem report finds that 10 other nations—including Bolivia, Brazil, and Poland—are turning back toward democracy after a period of decline.
From Slate • Mar. 17, 2026
Authoritarian systems recover from shocks by quickly re-establishing hierarchy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026
"Authoritarian leaders are always suspicious of even their inner circle, and because of that, they create mechanisms for monitoring them and ensuring loyalty," he said.
From BBC • Oct. 23, 2025
Authoritarian expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a history professor at New York University, was quick to condemn the scene.
From Salon • Jul. 16, 2024
Authoritarian - a form of government in which state authority is imposed onto many aspects of citizens' lives.
From The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
