authoritarian

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

adjective

1. favoring complete obedience or subjection to authority as opposed to individual freedom.

   authoritarian principles; authoritarian attitudes.

2. 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.

3. exercising complete or almost complete control over the will of another or of others.

   an authoritarian parent.

noun

1. a person who favors or acts according to authoritarian principles.

authoritarian

/ ɔːˌθɒrɪˈtɛərɪən /

adjective

1. favouring, denoting, or characterized by strict obedience to authority

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

3. despotic; dictatorial; domineering

noun

1. a person who favours or practises authoritarian policies

Other Word Forms

• authoritarianism noun
• antiauthoritarian adjective
• antiauthoritarianism noun
• nonauthoritarian adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of authoritarian¹

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

Example Sentences

Analysts say Kagame is following the handbook of other authoritarian rulers who have manipulated sports to scrub their reputations.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

These belief systems are almost always authoritarian, if not theocratic, in nature.

Read more on Salon

Yunus, 85, has championed the charter as his legacy, saying he inherited a "completely broken down" system and that reforms were needed to prevent a return to authoritarian rule.

Read more on Barron's

He concluded: “The authoritarian feeds on fear and ignorance and when people who can stand up for their rights articulate it humorously, it helps to bring the henchman down.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

His vision of power, propaganda and language as a weapon meets a barrage of torn-from-the-news imagery: refugees adrift on boats, authoritarian leaders twisting the truth, AI hallucinations blurring what’s left of reality.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• autocratic 
• dictatorial 
• imperious 
• rigid 
• strict 
• totalitarian 
• tyrannical