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
Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
But many of the able people Jackson has hired for PUSH find his authoritarian management style impossible, and leave.
—Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
Christopher Justin Einolf, The Conversation, 26 Sep. 2025
That is why censorship is the authoritarian's dream.
—Robert Birsel
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for authoritarian
Adjective
The concept shared by these two works is the idea that colonial and authoritarian societies are held together through the presence of a scapegoat (The Barbarians) whose existence justifies the need for all the tools a society uses to build and maintain control.
—Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
But many of the able people Jackson has hired for PUSH find his authoritarian management style impossible, and leave.
—Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
Noun
Not your grandma’s authoritarians Today’s authoritarian rulers realize that civil society has the potential to support democracy and pry loose their grip on power.
—Christopher Justin Einolf, The Conversation, 26 Sep. 2025
That is why censorship is the authoritarian's dream.
—Robert Birsel
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for authoritarian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for authoritarian
Adjective
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This is the rare movie adaptation that does cover the second half of the book, and our first glimpse of Heathcliff is as the domineering terror of his later years.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
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Even though Kenneth was the one to shoot Sheridan, both the jury and the judge accepted the prosecution's argument that Ronald was the domineering brother and had planned and directed the killing.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
For now, the Supreme Court ruling has effectively installed a strict near-term ceiling on trade barriers, substantially neutralizing the threat of runaway tariff escalation.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
23 Feb. 2026
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Leger Fernández pointed to a strict voter identification bill, known as the SAVE America Act, that Democrats have warned would disenfranchise tens of millions of eligible voters, including women who have changed their last names after getting married.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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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 country’s longtime dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko, had been overthrown, and a new order was being shaped under the rebel leader Laurent-Désiré Kabila.—
Nicolas Niarchos,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
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That job turned out to involve flying around the world in high style—often to places run by oligarchs, dictators, and fellow royals, on the basis that they would be flattered to deal with a prince.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Maekar refuses, earning a cutting rebuttal from Dunk about the royal upbringing that turned Daeron (Henry Ashton) into a drunken coward and Aerion into an arrogant and cruel madman.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
23 Feb. 2026
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And ironically, the most arrogant ones are the worst ones.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Prosecutors say the defendant failed to take into account his girlfriend’s inexperience in mountain climbing as well as the harsh winter conditions.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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Bathroom Fixtures There are no harsh or abrasive chemicals involved in steam cleaning bathroom fixtures.—
Rae Ford,
Martha Stewart,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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West Canaan Coyotes coach Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight) is a racist tyrant who pushes his players past their limit in order to win.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
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When a tyrant falls, we may be tempted to imagine a final moment of tragic self-awareness—a personal reckoning, like Oedipus blinding himself, or Macbeth raging on the heath.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Authoritarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/authoritarian. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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