authoritarian
adjective
au·thor·i·tar·i·an
ȯ-ˌthȯr-ə-ˈter-ē-ən 
ə-,
-ˌthär-
1
: of, relating to, or favoring blind submission to authority
had authoritarian parents
2
: of, relating to, or favoring a concentration of power in a leader or an elite not constitutionally responsible to the people
an authoritarian regime
authoritarian
noun
Examples of authoritarian in a Sentence
grew up with an authoritarian older sister who thought she was queen of the world
an authoritarian coach who runs football practice like it's boot camp
Recent Examples on the Web
North Korea is under sanctions from the United States — as well as the United Nations and several other countries — largely in response to the isolated authoritarian state's weapons programs.
—
Alana Wise, NPR, 25 July 2025
While Western democracies debate environmental reviews and grid reliability, authoritarian systems can rapidly direct energy flows to computing infrastructure.
—Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
Congress has been sidelined by an increasingly authoritarian Executive and is already showing its fatigue.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
Stewart asked, comparing the president to the narcissistic, authoritarian Shrek movie villain.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for authoritarian
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Alana Wise, NPR, 25 July 2025
While Western democracies debate environmental reviews and grid reliability, authoritarian systems can rapidly direct energy flows to computing infrastructure.
—Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
Congress has been sidelined by an increasingly authoritarian Executive and is already showing its fatigue.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
Stewart asked, comparing the president to the narcissistic, authoritarian Shrek movie villain.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for authoritarian
Cite this Entry
“Authoritarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/authoritarian. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
authoritarian
adjective
au·thor·i·tar·i·an
ȯ-ˌthär-ə-ˈter-ē-ən
ə-,
-ˌthȯr-
1
: expecting strict obedience to one's authority
had authoritarian parents
2
: based on the principle that the leaders and not the people have the final authority
an authoritarian state
authoritarian
noun
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