totalitarianism

noun

to·​tal·​i·​tar·​i·​an·​ism (ˌ)tō-ˌta-lə-ˈter-ē-ə-ˌni-zəm 

1

: centralized control by an autocratic authority

2

: the political concept that the citizen should be totally subject to an absolute state authority

Synonyms of totalitarianism

• tyranny
• fascism
• dictatorship
• Communism
• authoritarianism

Examples of totalitarianism in a Sentence

in times of crisis, when a nation's people are frightened, there are often calls for totalitarianism

Recent Examples on the Web

After Al Qaeda and then Saddam Hussein abruptly emerged as incarnations of a new totalitarianism, Michael Ignatieff and Niall Ferguson, among many others, impatiently urged the United States to assume its imperial obligations and impose democracy, human rights, and free trade through war. —Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025

Also, in part as a defense against totalitarianism, many countries signed on to international agreements upholding academic freedom, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. —David P. Baker, The Conversation, 18 Nov. 2025

The Emergency is not a story of totalitarianism. —Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025

King wrote the 1982 action-adventure long before social media took over the world and, in an ironic twist, set his send-up of reality culture and totalitarianism in 2025. —Jordan Moreau, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for totalitarianism

• antiquarianism
• congregationalism
• constitutionalism
• cosmopolitanism
• electromagnetism
• environmentalism
• epicureanism
• evangelicalism
• experimentalism
• hyperparathyroidism
• hypoparathyroidism
• individualism