authoritarian

adjective

au·thor·i·tar·i·an | \ ȯ-ˌthär-ə-ˈter-ē-ən

, ə-, -ˌthȯr-\

Definition of authoritarian

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

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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

Proposals for increased pressure on the authoritarian leader will be made during a meeting on Monday in the Colombian capital Bogotá. — Ryan Dube, WSJ, "Maduro’s Opposition Urges Military Force in Venezuela," 24 Feb. 2019 But the increasingly authoritarian leader is viewed with suspicion across the political spectrum in Germany, which has had difficult relations with Ankara in recent years. — Geir Moulson, Fox News, "Turkey's Erdogan heads to Germany on bridge-building visit," 27 Sep. 2018 Russia and China are authoritarian powers who do not share our joint aspirations of freedom. — Matthew Lee, The Seattle Times, "US warns Hungary, other allies to shun business with Huawei," 11 Feb. 2019 But the mission instead leads to their capture by rabbits from a terrifying authoritarian rabbit commune led by a one-eyed rabbit voiced by Ben Kingsley. — Aja Romano, Vox, "Netflix’s new Watership Down proves the beloved children’s classic was a horror story all along," 30 Dec. 2018 In North Korea—an authoritarian state where men dominate official positions and exercise control surpassing that in other countries—the power imbalance between genders is extreme. — Eun-young Jeong, WSJ, "Sex Abuse is Rampant in North Korea, Reports Say," 31 Oct. 2018 What transpires is ludicrous, if gripping in a pulpy sort of way (a fearsome terrorist inmate is actually a supernatural demon bent on exposing the venality of the authoritarian state). — Taylor Antrim, Vogue, "Which of These New TV International Thrillers Should You Binge?," 30 Aug. 2018 Under Abiy, Ethiopia appears to be embarking on a new path of reform, but Eritrea has been characterized as one of the most authoritarian states in Africa. — Paul Schemm, Washington Post, "Thousands cheer Ethiopian leader’s visit to former enemy Eritrea for unprecedented summit," 8 July 2018 Look no further than another tweet sent by Brian Stelter on Wednesday, chiding the liberal activist Amy Siskind for comparing border-crossing checkpoints to the dystopian authoritarian state of Margaret Atwood’s Gilead. — Rebecca Traister, The Cut, "Summer of Rage," 29 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'authoritarian.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.