totalitarian

adjective to·tal·i·tar·i·an \ (ˌ)tō-ˌta-lə-ˈter-ē-ən \

|Updated on: 14 Jul 2018

Definition of totalitarian

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

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Recent Examples of totalitarian from the Web

That's different than having a totalitarian government take over.

— anne nickoloff, cleveland.com, "West Geauga high school celebrates 2018 prom at Landerhaven (photos)," 12 May 2018
After more than four decades under the two Assad family totalitarian regimes, people were resigned to all kinds of hardship.

— john wendle, Scientific American, "The Ominous Story of Syria's Climate Refugees," 17 Dec. 2015
But North Korea, despite being run by one totalitarian family for the last seven decades, is not entirely monolithic.

— anna fifield, Washington Post, "North Korea threatens to cancel summit with Trump over military drills," 15 May 2018
But North Korea, despite being run by one totalitarian family for the last seven decades, is not entirely monolithic.

— the washington post, cleveland.com, "North Korea threatens to cancel summit with Trump over military drills," 15 May 2018
But North Korea, despite being run by one totalitarian family for the last seven decades, is not entirely monolithic.

— anna fifield, Anchorage Daily News, "North Korea threatens to cancel summit with Trump over military drills," 15 May 2018
The Mosaic Theory was originally devised in an effort to protect the secrecy of CIA research into brainwashing techniques used by totalitarian governments.

— glenn garvin, miamiherald, "911: The Florida fight over which records are public | Miami Herald," 1 July 2016
The Republic of Gilead, the fictional totalitarian state depicted in The Handmaid’s Tale, is a harsh and unforgiving place.

— gabriella paiella, The Cut, "I’ve Discovered a New Horrifying Thing About The Handmaid’s Tale," 24 May 2018
In 2011 he was arrested by Chinese authorities, apparently fed up with his anti-totalitarian blogging, which had attracted worldwide attention.

— deanna isaacs, Chicago Reader, "Ai Weiwei’s new Chicago exhibition ‘Trace’ features portraits of his fellow dissidents and political prisoners—all done in Legos," 8 May 2018

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.