Caesarism

American  

[see-zuh-riz-uhm] / ˈsi zəˌrɪz əm /

noun

1. absolute government; imperialism.

---

Caesarism British  

/ ˈsiːzəˌrɪzəm /

noun

1. an autocratic system of government See also Bonapartism

---

Other Word Forms

• Caesarist noun
• Caesaristic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Caesarism

First recorded in 1595–1605; Caesar + -ism

Example Sentences

But its inevitable outcome, he argues, is mob rule, bitter factional division, the debasement of civic culture and finally some version of Caesarism.

From Salon • Jan. 5, 2025

For Anton, the coming of Caesarism — defined as “authoritarian one-man rule partially legitimized by necessity” — appears almost historically determined.

From Salon • Jan. 20, 2024

So the irony is that — it’s like Caesar, you know: Caesar died, Caesarism won.

From New York Times • Oct. 22, 2010

If, despite his Caesarism and his ill-conceived sponsorship of Bulganin and Khrushchev, India survives as a unified nation without going Communist, Nehru's vanities and eccentricities will become merely a playground for biographers.

From Time Magazine Archive

Under Caesar, Augustus and Tiberius, the Roman people became habituated to a new form of government, which is best described by the name of Caesarism.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 3 "Gordon, Lord George" to "Grasses" by Various