totalitarian

[ toh-tal-i-tair-ee-uhn ]
See synonyms for: totalitariantotalitarians on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. of or relating to a centralized government that does not tolerate parties of differing opinion and that exercises dictatorial control over many aspects of life.

  2. exercising control over the freedom, will, or thought of others; authoritarian; autocratic.

noun
  1. an adherent of totalitarianism.

Origin of totalitarian

1
First recorded in 1925–30; totalit(y) + -arian

Other words from totalitarian

  • an·ti·to·tal·i·tar·i·an, adjective
  • non·to·tal·i·tar·i·an, adjective

Words Nearby totalitarian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use totalitarian in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for totalitarian

totalitarian

/ (təʊˌtælɪˈtɛərɪən) /


adjective
  1. of, denoting, relating to, or characteristic of a dictatorial one-party state that regulates every realm of life

noun
  1. a person who advocates or practises totalitarian policies

Origin of totalitarian

1
from totality + -arian

Derived forms of totalitarian

  • totalitarianism, 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