as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
in times of crisis, when a nation's people are frightened, there are often calls for totalitarianism
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of totalitarianism
Soviet communism represented left-wing totalitarianism, while Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy represented right-wing totalitarianism.
—
Mark Satta, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2025
Brzezinski would dedicate his academic and professional life to studying and undermining the forces of totalitarianism and authoritarianism that had overtaken his homeland during his childhood.
—Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
In the time between the 1933 and 1934 congress, Germany had moved even further into Nazi totalitarianism.
—Kamila Shamsie
june 20, Literary Hub, 20 June 2025
George Orwell himself has gone in and out of favor over the revisionist years, but the British author’s searing insights into empire and power and totalitarianism have never lost relevance.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for totalitarianism
Mark Satta, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2025
Brzezinski would dedicate his academic and professional life to studying and undermining the forces of totalitarianism and authoritarianism that had overtaken his homeland during his childhood.
—Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
In the time between the 1933 and 1934 congress, Germany had moved even further into Nazi totalitarianism.
—Kamila Shamsie
june 20, Literary Hub, 20 June 2025
George Orwell himself has gone in and out of favor over the revisionist years, but the British author’s searing insights into empire and power and totalitarianism have never lost relevance.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for totalitarianism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totalitarianism
Noun
-
The new Constitution’s supporters, known as Federalists, faced fierce opposition from Anti-Federalists who charged that a powerful national government, unrestrained by a bill of rights, would inevitably lead to tyranny.—
Donald Nieman,
The Conversation,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Males that tried to rule by asserting their dominance through violence, tyranny and threat did not last.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Thomas Pynchon has been warning us about American fascism the whole time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Oct. 2025
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His latest novel in English, , unfolds in a single sentence and reflects anxieties about rising fascism in Europe.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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If the Supreme Court officially makes the chief executive a unitary executive, the advancement of the public good may depend on little more than the whims of the president, a state of affairs normally more characteristic of dictatorship than democracy.—
Graham G. Dodds,
The Conversation,
7 Oct. 2025
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The exec emphasized his excitement about being in the country a few months after Salles’ history-making drama about Brazil’s military dictatorship, a film that also scored nominations for best picture and actress for Fernanda Torres.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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
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All this assumes that America and the West do not backslide into their own versions of authoritarianism.—
Peter Leyden,
Big Think,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Totalitarianism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totalitarianism. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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