to·tal·i·tar·i·an
(ˌ)tō-ˌta-lə-ˈter-ē-ən 
1
a
: of or relating to centralized control by an autocratic leader or hierarchy : authoritarian, dictatorial
especially
: despotic
b
: of or relating to a political regime based on subordination of the individual to the state and strict control of all aspects of the life and productive capacity of the nation especially by coercive measures (such as censorship and terrorism)
2
a
: advocating or characteristic of totalitarianism
b
: completely regulated by the state especially as an aid to national mobilization in an emergency
c
: exercising autocratic powers
: an advocate or practitioner of totalitarianism
Examples of totalitarian in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 15 May 2025
Read More: 'John Wick' Fan-Favorite Star Returning for Spinoff
In an alternate version of the United States led by a totalitarian regime, 100 boys walk in a life-or-death contest.
—Michileen Martin, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025
Letters To The Editor, Orange County Register, 17 Oct. 2020
Under the unconditional patronage of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kadyrov rules his republic as a totalitarian, and has done so since taking power in May 2004, after his father, then President Akhmad Kadyrov, was assassinated.
—Layla Taimienova, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2017
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Adjective
For decades, he’s been telling people that monstrous totalitarian powers control the medical system.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 15 May 2025
Read More: 'John Wick' Fan-Favorite Star Returning for Spinoff
In an alternate version of the United States led by a totalitarian regime, 100 boys walk in a life-or-death contest.
—Michileen Martin, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025
Noun
Ridicule only appeals to cool kids on coasts and the college towns and totalitarians.
—Letters To The Editor, Orange County Register, 17 Oct. 2020
Under the unconditional patronage of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kadyrov rules his republic as a totalitarian, and has done so since taking power in May 2004, after his father, then President Akhmad Kadyrov, was assassinated.
—Layla Taimienova, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2017
See All Example Sentences for totalitarian
Cite this Entry
“Totalitarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/totalitarian. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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