1
as in domineering
fond of ordering people around
grew up with an authoritarian older sister who thought she was queen of the world
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in strict
given to exacting standards of discipline and self-restraint
an authoritarian coach who runs football practice like it's boot camp
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in disciplinarian
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of authoritarian
Arkansas Online, 30 Mar. 2026
Most people are not used to speaking out, afraid that even a social media post criticizing the authoritarian government could land them in jail.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Maduro, an authoritarian, has led Venezuela since 2013, succeeding an ideological ally, Hugo Chávez, who had been in office since 1999.
—Dallas Morning News, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for authoritarian
Adjective
Protesters filled the streets Saturday at more than 3,300 rallies across all 50 states for No Kings, a movement that bills itself as nonviolent opposition to what organizers view as authoritarian rulers in the White House and beyond.
—Arkansas Online, 30 Mar. 2026
Most people are not used to speaking out, afraid that even a social media post criticizing the authoritarian government could land them in jail.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026
Noun
Caleb is resistant, but Nahla is not your traditional authoritarian either.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Maduro, an authoritarian, has led Venezuela since 2013, succeeding an ideological ally, Hugo Chávez, who had been in office since 1999.
—Dallas Morning News, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for authoritarian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for authoritarian
Adjective
-
In the new version, the dramatic tension comes from the singer’s relationship with his domineering father, Joe Jackson, who doesn’t want his son’s solo career to come at the expense of the Jackson 5, the Motown group that put the family on the map.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Rethinking the Chávez myth True reappraisals of Chávez and his work wouldn’t start until after former Times editor and reporter Miriam Pawel published a 2006 series for this paper that showed the ugly, domineering side of Chávez and the UFW’s decline.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Minnesota also implemented stricter regulations around those products because of the federal prohibition, such as where consumers can buy them.—
Caroline Cummings,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The design process took more than five years, a negotiation between the city’s strict hydraulic requirements and the neighborhood’s shifting wishes; the result was something no one had pictured in advance.—
Eric Klinenberg,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Mitevska also refuses to sanctify Mother Teresa more than necessary, instead portraying her as a strict disciplinarian who believed in organizational practicality as much as in the inherent holiness of children.—
Ritesh Mehta,
IndieWire,
27 Aug. 2025
-
Considering his managers at Leeds included disciplinarians such as Wilkinson and George Graham, this was probably for the best.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
29 July 2025
Noun
-
The delegation — the first since Russian dictator Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea in March 2014 — was headed, symbolically, by Vyacheslav Nikonov, a lawmaker from Putin’s United Russia party and the grandson of Joseph Stalin’s Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov.—
Vladimir Kara-Murza,
Washington Post,
3 Apr. 2026
-
More like a memo from the dictator, telling gullible loyalists what to think.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
As the sun and Jupiter clash, you’re cosmically protected, but arrogant behavior won’t get a pass.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
5 Apr. 2026
-
For Iran, what counts is resistance, against arrogant and wicked oppressors, chiefly the United States and Israel.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
His team, which includes his advisor Atsushi Shirane and Masaya Miyahara of Japan’s High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), is aiming to develop a wireless system for controlling robots in this harsh environment.—
Katherine Bourzac,
IEEE Spectrum,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Items that are wind-resistant and waterproof will be good for use in many harsh weather conditions in which the user would need protection.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The September murder of the right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who was close to many in the administration, including Miller, plunged Trump’s already single-minded martinet into a maximalist frenzy.—
Michael Scherer,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
-
And then there’s the U.S. Army officer who succeeds in apprehending Perfidia: Col. Steven J. Lockjaw, played in a graying military fade, with some fur on top and a martinet scowl, by Sean Penn.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Trump wants to rule over us as a tyrant.—
Killian Baarlaer,
Louisville Courier Journal,
28 Mar. 2026
-
In the year 3000, humans fight back against the Psychlos, a race of aliens led by a nine-foot-tall tyrant with dreadlocks (Travolta).—
René Ostberg,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Authoritarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/authoritarian. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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