authoritarian

adjective

au·thor·i·tar·i·an ȯ-ˌthȯr-ə-ˈter-ē-ən

ə-,

-ˌthär-

Synonyms of authoritarian next

: of, relating to, or favoring blind submission to authority

had authoritarian parents

: 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

authoritarianism

ȯ-ˌthȯr-ə-ˈter-ē-ə-ˌni-zəm

ə-

-ˌthär-

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 This is a characterization that applies chiefly to despots and authoritarian types; dictators who engineer their systems to stay in power for far longer than democracy typically allows. —

Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 9 Sep. 2023 Boye was not the only writer of her time to be interested by the idea that authoritarian states might draw their power in part from the suppression of women. —

Talya Zax, The New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2023 Critics accuse him of leading the country down down a path of authoritarian rule. —

Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023 As Mexico is roiled by a 'birther' crisis, 'Claudia the Mexican' fights back Mexico’s rapid progress on gender equality is rooted in its transition from an authoritarian state to a multiparty democracy. —

David Agren, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2023 Its regulation is matched by an unparalleled deployment of technology as a tool of authoritarian government power. —

Mustafa Suleyman, WIRED, 6 Sep. 2023 Multiple North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile tests in recent months have raised alarm among the US and its allies in South Korea and Japan as the isolated authoritarian nation increases its efforts to develop weapons capable of potentially striking major US cities. —

Jessie Yeung, CNN, 5 Sep. 2023 That will be when the edit staffers finally realize to their dismay that the Republican Party of their dreams—a party devoted to small government and tax-cutting rather than election denying and an authoritarian cult of personality—no longer exists. —

Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 4 Sep. 2023 The country’s economy is facing its worst slowdown in years, but China’s authoritarian leader, Xi Jinping, appears more fixated on national security and preventing threats to the party’s control. —

Vivian Wang, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'authoritarian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.