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Definition of totalitarian
1a : of or relating to centralized control by an autocratic leader or hierarchy : authoritarian, dictatorial; especially : despoticb : 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)
2a : advocating or characteristic of totalitarianismb : completely regulated by the state especially as an aid to national mobilization in an emergencyc : exercising autocratic powers
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Recent Examples of totalitarian from the Web
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Yet even the smallest freedoms, squeezed in through the cracks of a totalitarian state, carry the seeds for change.
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Poland was the first country that opposed Nazi Germany, followed by the invasion of the totalitarian Soviet regime.
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In George Orwell’s dystopian classic 1984, the protagonist Winston Smith undergoes months of brutal torture for resisting the totalitarian regime led by a shadowy figure known as Big Brother.
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The High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) was a special kind of menace, demanding a society that mirrored his own fundamentalist, totalitarian vision, while self-righteously claiming to be acting out of spiritual conviction.
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Such detentions in the totalitarian nation have added to tensions between Washington and Pyongyang.
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The detention of Americans, often sentenced to draconian prison sentences for seemingly small offenses in the totalitarian nation, has compounded tensions between Washington and Pyongyang.
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The removal of one, a statue to Felix Dzerzhinsky, the founder of the Soviet secret service, in front of jubilant crowds on Aug. 21, 1991, was perceived as a symbolic break with Russia’s totalitarian past.
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As a system that does not tolerate criticism or free speech, Sharia is totalitarian.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'totalitarian'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of totalitarian
Italian totalitario, from totalità totality
Other Government and Politics Terms
totalitarian
Definition of totalitarian
: an advocate or practitioner of totalitarianism
Recent Examples of totalitarian from the Web
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Not only did Churchill take his nation to war with all these totalitarians,...
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'totalitarian'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of totalitarian
circa 1934
Other Government and Politics Terms
TOTALITARIAN Defined for English Language Learners
totalitarian
playDefinition of totalitarian for English Language Learners
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: controlling the people of a country in a very strict way with complete power that cannot be opposed
Learn More about totalitarian
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See words that rhyme with totalitarian Spanish Central: Translation of totalitarian Nglish: Translation of totalitarian for Spanish speakers
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