authoritarian

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

/ əˌθɔr ɪˈtɛər i ən, əˌθɒr- /

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See synonyms for: authoritarian / authoritarianism on Thesaurus.com

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.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of authoritarian

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

OTHER WORDS FROM authoritarian

au·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

Words nearby authoritarian

authigenic, author, author catalog, authoress, authoring, authoritarian, authoritative, authority, authority control, authority figure, authority file

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use authoritarian in a sentence

It’s got this increasingly authoritarian tendency, which is consolidating data and increasing surveillance, but it still has a strong civil society and a court system that’s pushing back.
Podcast: COVID-19 is helping turn Brazil into a surveillance state|Anthony Green|September 16, 2020|MIT Technology Review
That accusation carries all the more weight under Hong Kong’s newly authoritarian reality, where provoking by unlawful means “hatred” toward the government can amount to a crime of collusion with external elements, punishable by lengthy prison terms.
Beijing’s push for mass Covid testing in Hong Kong commits the cardinal sin of public health|Mary Hui|August 25, 2020|Quartz
To do that, they must be clear about what their values are and why they differ from those of authoritarian regimes.
How China surveils the world|Tate Ryan-Mosley|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Recently, though, the country has veered down a more authoritarian path.
Brazil is sliding into techno-authoritarianism|Tate Ryan-Mosley|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review

An LGBTQ activist in Belarus on Monday said she remains optimistic that nationwide protests will ultimately oust her country’s authoritarian president.
Belarus LGBTQ activist joins anti-government protests|Michael K. Lavers|August 18, 2020|Washington Blade
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|DAILY BEAST
And yes, that authoritarian, patriarchal guru-power structure, invariably, always leads to abuses.
Is India’s Fallen ‘God-Man’ So Different From a Megachurch Pastor?|Jay Michaelson|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Perhaps that name should not be felt so ruefully today, despite the reversion to authoritarian control in Egypt.
You Say You Want to Name a Revolution?|Jack DuVall|October 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rivers continued on her political, authoritarian monologue by describing what kind of tyrant she would be.
What Joan Rivers Said She Would Do If She Were Dictator of America|Asawin Suebsaeng|September 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The crisis in neighbouring Ukraine has rattled Alexander Lukashenko's authoritarian regime.
The Daily Beast’s Best Longreads, June 14, 2014|The Daily Beast|June 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Borders are no defense for the penetration of information even in highly controlled or authoritarian societies.
Shock and Awe|Harlan K. Ullman
We are aware of the strength that lies in narrowness and secretly covet the simplification and order of an authoritarian church.
Nine O'Clock Talks|Frederic B. Kellogg
The earlier Liberalism had to deal with authoritarian government in church and state.
Liberalism|L. T. Hobhouse
Soldiers occasionally use the authoritarian style to demand instant obedience.
Sequential Problem Solving|Fredric Lozo
The authoritarian model is useful for situations requiring immediate compliance by a subordinate.
Sequential Problem Solving|Fredric Lozo

British Dictionary definitions for authoritarian

authoritarian

/ (ɔːˌθɒrɪˈtɛərɪən) /

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 forms of authoritarian

authoritarianism, 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

authoritarian

Origin of authoritarian

OTHER WORDS FROM authoritarian

Words nearby authoritarian

Words related to authoritarian

How to use authoritarian in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for authoritarian

Derived forms of authoritarian