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
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
The Secret Commonwealth is the condemnation of a world where imagination—not making things up, but a way of seeing, understanding, feeling the world—is suppressed by the dual forces of cold rationality and religious fundamentalisms that breed authoritarianism.
—Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
The metro Detroit rallies have advocated for causes including stopping immigration crackdowns, stopping authoritarianism, health care, maintaining a positive relationship with Canada amid tariffs, declaring Detroit a sanctuary city, stopping deaths in Gaza and more.
—Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 17 Oct. 2025
And Trump should not be surprised when millions of Americans stand up to his authoritarianism and his greed.
—Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Oct. 2025
For Suzuki Daniels, the failure of Democrats to stand up against rising right-wing authoritarianism has left her feeling jaded about the entire political system.
—Oren Peleg, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2025
Trump’s actions are sharpening critics’ fears about creeping authoritarianism.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 5 Oct. 2025
The documentary about the perils of authoritarianism from the author of iconic 1984 and Animal Farm premiered at Cannes.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2025
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
The Secret Commonwealth is the condemnation of a world where imagination—not making things up, but a way of seeing, understanding, feeling the world—is suppressed by the dual forces of cold rationality and religious fundamentalisms that breed authoritarianism.
—Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
The metro Detroit rallies have advocated for causes including stopping immigration crackdowns, stopping authoritarianism, health care, maintaining a positive relationship with Canada amid tariffs, declaring Detroit a sanctuary city, stopping deaths in Gaza and more.
—Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 17 Oct. 2025
And Trump should not be surprised when millions of Americans stand up to his authoritarianism and his greed.
—Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Oct. 2025
For Suzuki Daniels, the failure of Democrats to stand up against rising right-wing authoritarianism has left her feeling jaded about the entire political system.
—Oren Peleg, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2025
Trump’s actions are sharpening critics’ fears about creeping authoritarianism.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 5 Oct. 2025
The documentary about the perils of authoritarianism from the author of iconic 1984 and Animal Farm premiered at Cannes.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for authoritarianism
Noun
-
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
-
Many of the newer immigrants are people who fled socialist tyranny in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela and were given work permits and temporary protection from deportation.—
Sal Rodriguez,
Oc Register,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Written and directed by Pérez Rial, the film reconstructs the exile of Sosa, who was arrested during a 1978 concert in La Plata and later forced to flee Argentina’s dictatorship.—
Emiliano De Pablos,
Variety,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Caesar's Legion is a straight-up totalitarian dictatorship of LARPers playing Romans.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The surest defense against soft fascism is presence—to show up, visibly, and refuse the framing.—
Alexis Coe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Wyeth had taken several photos of a woman wearing three layers of denim vests, all filled with pins and slogans against fascism, against patriarchy, against the pipeline, against the former rapist in chief, against starving children, against book bans, against transphobes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This is a democracy versus autocracy issue.—
Andrea Hsu,
NPR,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Yet the film’s timeliness is still a tonic, given that the spirit of autocracy looks more and more like a virus that now wants to take over the world.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In times of uncertainty, particularly under the growing threat of totalitarianism, utopian fantasies provide a way to reflect on the situation and, potentially, outline a path toward a positive outcome.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
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Except for a few shots of China’s President Xi presiding over a military parade, the film’s image of totalitarianism leans far more toward right-wing regimes; to leave out Mao, or Castro, feels like a mistake.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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
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The Bashar Assad regime’s collapse inspired a wave of optimism about despotism turning into democracy.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Authoritarianism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/authoritarianism. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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