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
-
despotic; dictatorial; domineering
noun
Other Word Forms
- antiauthoritarian adjective
- antiauthoritarianism noun
- authoritarianism noun
- nonauthoritarian adjective
Etymology
Origin of authoritarian
First recorded in 1875–80; authorit(y) + -arian
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.
"Of course, authoritarians don't like to be laughed at," he says.
From BBC
"But normalising relations with a neighbouring authoritarian regime that doesn't recognise you, that also doesn't admit to the crimes committed during the war, is quite difficult," he added.
From Barron's
Chevron and its chief executive, Mike Wirth, are familiar with the risks of operating in an authoritarian state in Washington’s crosshairs.
Hasina fled to India on 5 August last year, following weeks of student-led protests, bringing an end to 15 years of increasingly authoritarian rule.
From BBC
Palpatine is the unseen villain in this second and final season, enacting his authoritarian will through recognizable means.
From Salon
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.
