as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
concerning absolutism Lord Acton famously observed that "absolute power corrupts absolutely"
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Recent Examples of absolutism
Public discourse must resist the seduction of emotional absolutism, demanding instead that moral arguments be grounded in fact and logic.
—
Kevin Waldman, Twin Cities, 10 Apr. 2025
In our skies as in our social lives, incremental change, like ring rain, seems to work slowly, while acts of frightening absolutism seem to happen overnight.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2024
In other words, the absolutism or the abolitionist approach to cutting out meat from our diet doesn’t work for a lot of people.
—Shalom Daniel, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
The political absolutism of Sartre was a way of asserting fearlessness: Nothing, not even the presence of the U.S. Army, can intimidate me!
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for absolutism
Kevin Waldman, Twin Cities, 10 Apr. 2025
In our skies as in our social lives, incremental change, like ring rain, seems to work slowly, while acts of frightening absolutism seem to happen overnight.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2024
In other words, the absolutism or the abolitionist approach to cutting out meat from our diet doesn’t work for a lot of people.
—Shalom Daniel, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
The political absolutism of Sartre was a way of asserting fearlessness: Nothing, not even the presence of the U.S. Army, can intimidate me!
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for absolutism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for absolutism
Noun
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose own family fled Cuba, surely understands the desperation that drives people to seek refuge from tyranny.—
Arlene Marcus,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Aug. 2025
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Had any Democratic president tried to so directly politicize these independent agencies Republicans would be screaming about the coming tyranny.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
10 Aug. 2025
Noun
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As Chile’s dictatorship nears its end, 15-year-old Celeste’s beach holiday turns tragic, fracturing her family and childhood.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
16 Aug. 2025
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This was true of monarchies, which were fiercely contested by major Enlightenment movements, and later of dictatorships, which defined much of the 20th century and continue to shape the lives of billions today in various parts of the world.—
Davide Sartini,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Prosecutors who push for tough punishments are accused of fascism and run out of town.—
Wendy Murphy,
Boston Herald,
11 Aug. 2025
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The curious pun read to critics as a dog whistle for white supremacy, eugenics, and fascism in Trump‘s America — a wink to Sweeney’s correspondence to an Aryan archetype.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
30 July 2025
Noun
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For a while, autocracies were fighting a defensive, rearguard battle.—
Robert O. Keohane,
Foreign Affairs,
2 June 2025
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Even Trump’s most pessimistic critics have been startled by the speed with which the President, in his second term, has moved to impose autocracy on America, concentrating power in the executive branch—and often enough in the hands of the richest men on earth.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
Noun
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If not for our nation’s First Amendment, our country could quickly resemble a despotism where police forces attack reporters and quash news reports that diverge from the official view.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
15 July 2025
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Can that Huntington Beach teach the rest of us a thing — or thirty — not just about how to stand up to despotism, but how to beat it back?—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2025
Noun
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Brzezinski would dedicate his academic and professional life to studying and undermining the forces of totalitarianism and authoritarianism that had overtaken his homeland during his childhood.—
Niall Ferguson,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Aug. 2025
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George Orwell himself has gone in and out of favor over the revisionist years, but the British author’s searing insights into empire and power and totalitarianism have never lost relevance.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Absolutism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/absolutism. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
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