antiauthoritarian

adjective

an·​ti·​au·​thor·​i·​tar·​i·​an ˌan-tē-ȯ-ˌthär-ə-ˈter-ē-ən 

-tē-ə-, 

-ˌthȯr-, 

ˌan-ˌtī-

variants or anti-authoritarian

: opposed or hostile toward authority, authoritarians, or authoritarianism

Yet the digital world has been notoriously reluctant to worry much about security issues, because they pose conflicts with cherished antiauthoritarian notions of freedom.

—Jon Katz

antiauthoritarian noun

or anti-authoritarian

In communist East Germany, a number of leading antiauthoritarians were arrested.

—Bob McGlynn

antiauthoritarianism

ˌan-tē-ȯ-ˌthär-ə-ˈter-ē-ə-ˌni-zəm 

-tē-ə-, 

-ˌthȯr-, 

ˌan-ˌtī-

noun

or anti-authoritarianism

… the personal antiauthoritarianism exemplified by the sixties pot-smokers …

—Katha Pollitt

Examples of antiauthoritarian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2018, some of the DSA’s older activists formed the North Star caucus, an internal group to defend Harrington’s antiauthoritarian principles from its newer authoritarian-minded entrants. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026

But there's something very American about Winger's antiauthoritarian streak, as well as his ability to improvise a mission to save his unit. — Kevin P. Sullivan, Entertainment Weekly, 26 June 2026

That same year, in 1986, antiauthoritarian dissidents, most of whom had served time in prison, would establish their own official party, the Democratic Progressive Party. — Michelle Kuo, The Dial, 14 Apr. 2026

These influences were antiauthoritarian — but also intellectual. — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for antiauthoritarian

• latitudinarian
• agrarian
• aquarian
• barbarian
• bavarian
• bulgarian
• cimmerian
• hungarian
• librarian
• ovarian
• riparian
• rotarian