authoritarian
Americanadjective
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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.
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exercising complete or almost complete control over the will of another or of others.
an authoritarian parent.
noun
adjective
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favouring, denoting, or characterized by strict obedience to authority
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favouring, denoting, or relating to government by a small elite with wide powers
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despotic; dictatorial; domineering
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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antiauthoritarianismnoun
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authoritarianismnoun
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antiauthoritarianadjective
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nonauthoritarianadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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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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.
See Examples For:
Giaconda Belli, a writer and former guerrilla who left the Sandinista party in 1990 and now lives in exile, said she knows firsthand that removing an authoritarian leader is possible.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Obviously he sees that it is not beneficial, under some circumstances at least, for the president to have authoritarian control over all federal agencies.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
“The die is never cast forever in terms of competitive authoritarian systems. You need to register concern,” said David Satterfield, who served as U.S. ambassador to Turkey during Trump’s first term in office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
The latter is the hangover from a peripatetic childhood defined and dominated by his charismatic father, a once-idealistic scholar whose dreams of a Arab utopia soured into authoritarian megalomania.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
In 1959, a rebel force led by Fidel Castro had overthrown the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, an authoritarian leader supported by the United States and by the many American companies doing business on the island.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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
It's the Achilles heel of authoritarians throughout time.
From Salon ● Nov. 15, 2024
Stanley said history is full of examples of people not believing the rhetoric of authoritarians.
From Seattle Times ● May 31, 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
We are not authoritarians, but we must be organizers.
From Violence and the Labor Movement by Hunter, Robert
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.
