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authoritarian

[uh-thawr-i-tair-ee-uh n, uh-thor-]

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adjective

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

a person who favors or acts according to authoritarian principles.

Origin of authoritarian

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

Related formsau·thor·i·tar·i·an·ism, nounan·ti·au·thor·i·tar·i·an, adjectivean·ti·au·thor·i·tar·i·an·ism, nounnon·au·thor·i·tar·i·an, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for anti-authoritarian

Contemporary Examples of anti-authoritarian

Sony Pictures Entertainment has put out some of the most countercultural, anti-authoritarian movies of the past century.
Sony: Hollywood’s Most Subversive Studio Under Attack
Marlow Stern
December 23, 2014
The Obama years have been marked by a sharp turn toward anti-individualist, anti-authoritarian philosophy.
Obama’s Shift Toward Communitarianism
Gregory Ferenstein
June 30, 2013
At its core, the Republican Party is a bottom-up, anti-authoritarian working- and middle-class party.
Republicans Push Back as Rove Aims to Appoint Himself Kingmaker
Lloyd Green
February 10, 2013
The seventies were an anti-authoritarian or at least egalitarian period.
Eric Asimov Talks About New Book “How to Love Wine”
Sophie Menin
October 20, 2012
And pushing the envelope, as she always did, with a playful, anti-authoritarian attitude—up to a point.
Lynn Sherr: Sally Ride’s Heroic and Trailblazing Life as an Astronaut
Lynn Sherr
July 24, 2012

British Dictionary definitions for anti-authoritarian

authoritarian

adjective

favouring, denoting, or characterized by strict obedience to authority

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

despotic; dictatorial; domineering

noun

a person who favours or practises authoritarian policies

Derived Formsauthoritarianism, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for anti-authoritarian

authoritarian

adj.

1862, "favoring imposed order over freedom," from authority + -an. Cf. authoritative, which originally had this meaning to itself. Noun in the sense of one advocating or practicing such governance is from 1859.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper