absolutism

American  

[ab-suh-loo-tiz-uhm] / ˈæb sə luˌtɪz əm /

noun

1. the principle or the exercise of complete and unrestricted power in government.

   Synonyms:

   totalitarianism

2. any theory holding that values, principles, etc., are absolute and not relative, dependent, or changeable.

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absolutism British  

/ ˈæbsəluːˌtɪzəm /

noun

1. the principle or practice of a political system in which unrestricted power is vested in a monarch, dictator, etc; despotism

2. philosophy

   1. any theory which holds that truth or moral or aesthetic value is absolute and universal and not relative to individual or social differences Compare relativism

   2. the doctrine that reality is unitary and unchanging and that change and diversity are mere illusion See also monism pluralism

3. Christianity an uncompromising form of the doctrine of predestination

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Other Word Forms

• absolutist noun
• absolutistic adjective
• absolutistically adverb
• nonabsolutist noun
• nonabsolutistic adjective
• nonabsolutistically adverb
• proabsolutism noun
• proabsolutist adjective

Etymology

Origin of absolutism

First recorded in 1745–55

Explanation

Absolutism is the principle of complete and unrestricted government power, usually in the hands of one person, a dictator or despot. This word sounds big, but it's really just an extension of the word absolute. If you have absolute power, you control everything. The problem with this is that absolutism can survive only through dominance, threat of punishment, and violence — in other words, tyranny. And, as the British historian Lord Acton noted in 1887, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Example Sentences

Bopp recognized that if he could craft the right case, one that appealed to Kennedy’s First Amendment absolutism, there was a real chance to rewrite the rules of American democracy.

From Slate • Oct. 21, 2025

Because of this mediocre king, who clung so desperately to the fantasies of absolutism that he was later overthrown and guillotined by his own people, the American experiment with republican government was able to commence.

From Slate • May 30, 2025

Zero-sum thinking after one year of catastrophic conflict has created discord, hate and absolutism.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2024

"Will he make concessions with his absolutism on speech to bring back advertisers? Because that's what it really comes down to," he said.

From BBC • Oct. 26, 2023

According to the moral absolutism that characterizes McCandless’s beliefs, a challenge in which a successful outcome is assured isn’t a challenge at all.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer