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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authoritarian

noun

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authoritarianism

play \-ē-ə-ˌni-zəm\ noun

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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 of authoritarian from the Web

Erdogan, an authoritarian leader whose roots are in political Islam, has accused Germany of anti-Turkish and anti-Muslim sentiment.

— bulent esta, The Christian Science Monitor, "Erdogan urges German Turks to vote against major parties," 18 Aug. 2017
Damore supporters took to Twitter to debate Google's decision, describing it as a case of political correctness gone wild, and painting Google as an authoritarian organization that didn't allow for dissenting or unpopular views.

— tracey lien, latimes.com, "By firing engineer, Google shows what you can say — and what you can't — at work," 8 Aug. 2017
More than 7.5m Venezuelans, about a third of the electorate, voted in a referendum organised by the opposition to the authoritarian regime.

— The Economist, "Politics this week," 20 July 2017
Today, however, China's authoritarian regime is directing its tools of oppression at beloved children's book character Winnie the Pooh.

— jay willis, GQ, "China Reportedly Banned Winnie the Pooh Like a Bunch of Damn Fools," 17 July 2017
Keep in mind: This will not be a channel that delves into the underbelly of the Olympic Games, whether drug usage, infrastructure spending, or the IOC awarding Games to authoritarian regimes.

— richard deitsch, SI.com, "Inside the launch of the new 24/7 Olympic channel," 17 July 2017
Nineteen years later, Mr Erdogan, now Turkey’s president, presides over an increasingly authoritarian regime.

— The Economist, "Turkey has arrested Amnesty International’s local director," 14 July 2017
The vast majority of the new arrivals were fleeing long-standing authoritarian regimes in Eritrea and Sudan.

— chicagotribune.com, "Inside Israel's secret program to get rid of African refugees," 5 July 2017
Moammar Gadhafi of Libya -- an authoritarian who gave up his nascent nuclear program, only to be deposed, with U.S. help, as soon as his people turned against him.

— the new york times, NOLA.com, "For Trump, threats but few options in confronting North Korea: news analysis," 4 July 2017

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.