as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
a critical period that saw a number of third-world countries abandon authoritarianism for democracy
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Recent Examples of authoritarianism
But unfortunately, that's just the way that authoritarianism progresses.
—
Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
The tactic is basically authoritarianism through fatigue.
—Dan Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Taut and well-acted as this queasy little thriller can be, its unflinching tale of corporate authoritarianism is much too streamlined to reflect the emotional truth of watching totalitarianism in motion.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2025
Two veteran data journalists are launching a new investigative publication to cover rising authoritarianism from the shadowy corners of the internet.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Vika Lomasko on authoritarianism, political art, and her book, The Last Soviet Artist.
—Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025
To compare authoritarianism’s rise to an infection is perhaps obvious.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2025
What about the neuroscience of authoritarianism?
—Big Think, 18 Oct. 2025
Protesters expressed concerns about authoritarianism, the future of the country and Project 2025.
—Erin Glynn, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 Oct. 2025
Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
The tactic is basically authoritarianism through fatigue.
—Dan Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Taut and well-acted as this queasy little thriller can be, its unflinching tale of corporate authoritarianism is much too streamlined to reflect the emotional truth of watching totalitarianism in motion.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2025
Two veteran data journalists are launching a new investigative publication to cover rising authoritarianism from the shadowy corners of the internet.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Vika Lomasko on authoritarianism, political art, and her book, The Last Soviet Artist.
—Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025
To compare authoritarianism’s rise to an infection is perhaps obvious.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2025
What about the neuroscience of authoritarianism?
—Big Think, 18 Oct. 2025
Protesters expressed concerns about authoritarianism, the future of the country and Project 2025.
—Erin Glynn, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for authoritarianism
Noun
-
These cars are sensational, liberating Honda’s engineering excellence from the tyranny of front-wheel drive.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Andrew Garfield leads the feature that is now in production, portraying the leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Venezuelans got accustomed to dismissing it all as noise, just a pretext the dictatorship employed to stamp out civil rights.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Communism is most readily associated with the one-party dictatorships of the Soviet Union and present-day China.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Politically or electorally speaking, Maoism could hardly be less relevant in this day and age—no one wants egalitarian totalitarianism anymore than (most) people want fascism.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Right-wing figures have blamed the Left for increasing the political temperature and resulting in Kirk’s assassination by weaponizing accusations of fascism, Nazism, and various kinds of bigotry.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Because, as the analysis above suggests, autocracy always comes gradually.—
John M. Crisp,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Mozambique’s mobilization against autocracy gained traction, Argentina’s mass protests against femicide went mainstream, and Indonesia’s civil unrest over economic frustrations came to a head.—
Michael Shank,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Taut and well-acted as this queasy little thriller can be, its unflinching tale of corporate authoritarianism is much too streamlined to reflect the emotional truth of watching totalitarianism in motion.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Politically or electorally speaking, Maoism could hardly be less relevant in this day and age—no one wants egalitarian totalitarianism anymore than (most) people want fascism.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
These achievements made the United States the political model of the liberal state, which displaced the monarchical dynasties of Europe in the nineteenth century, then rescued Western civilization from the totalitarian despotisms of Germany, Japan, and the Soviet Union in the twentieth.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
In recent months, as despotism intensified an increasing number of writers, scholars, and thinkers were declared foreign agents, and their books were taken off the shelves.—
Nina Khrushcheva,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Authoritarianism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/authoritarianism. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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