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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of authoritarian
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
Judge Lee Jin-gwan said Park abandoned his responsibility to uphold the constitution and law by taking part in Yoon’s authoritarian push.
—
ABC News,
22 June 2026
The Week Us,
TheWeek,
10 Mar. 2026
Khamenei, 87, who had been in power for more than three decades, was viewed by critics as a repressive authoritarian responsible for the mass murder of thousands of protesters and other human rights abuses.
—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for authoritarian
Adjective
But his decade in power was also marked by authoritarian rule, corruption and grave human rights abuses.
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Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
Judge Lee Jin-gwan said Park abandoned his responsibility to uphold the constitution and law by taking part in Yoon’s authoritarian push.
—
ABC News,
22 June 2026
Noun
Khomeini was a leader of opposition to the shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, an authoritarian who wanted to modernize the country.
—
The Week Us,
TheWeek,
10 Mar. 2026
Khamenei, 87, who had been in power for more than three decades, was viewed by critics as a repressive authoritarian responsible for the mass murder of thousands of protesters and other human rights abuses.
—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for authoritarian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for authoritarian
Adjective
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Musk’s company has inked lucrative AI deals with Anthropic and Google and plans to be the domineering firm behind orbital data centers, which SpaceX has said could be deployed as early as 2028.
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Many figures within evangelicalism have promoted an aggressive, domineering, even abusive view of manhood—affixing to it, as Du Mez argues, the label biblical.
Adjective
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Under the law, California is able to set these stricter standards through a waiver from the EPA.
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And extreme sports accidents renew calls for stricter regulations.
Noun
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You are asked to be teachers, counselors, social workers, disciplinarians, mentors, advocates, crisis managers and emotional anchors for children navigating an increasingly complicated world.
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Early in the film, as Joe was assembling the Jackson 5 with Michael and his brothers, Joe is depicted as a harsh disciplinarian who brutally beats young Michael with a belt.
Noun
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And following the ousting of longtime dictator Bashir Al-Assad, Syria continues to have armed conflict and sectarian violence.
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The most dangerous weapon for a democracy to put in control of an aspiring dictator is not necessarily the police or the military.
Adjective
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The passage is incoherent, yet, in conflating progressive reform with arrogant blind faith, it is perfectly suited to Vance’s cynical conservatism.
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To no one’s surprise, Bonnie is immediately transfixed by her Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee, whose arrogant smarm effectively threads the needle between Maya Hawke’s Anxiety and Regina George’s everything else).
Adjective
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Plant magnolias somewhere they will be protected from harsh winds, especially when buds or flowers are developing.
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Most clarifying shampoos tend to be a little harsh and drying, but this one is gentle and nourishing.
Noun
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The presence of Eisenhower's secretary Kay Summersby (Kerry Condon) is used as a dramatic foil a little too often, notably as a means to salve seemingly irreconcilable clashes between the personalities of her impatient and demonstrative boss and Stagg's soft-spoken yet obstinate martinet.
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His chief antagonist is his caustic first wife, Queen Marguerite (Joy DeMichelle), who operates as a kind of a martinet death doula.
Noun
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Aegon, dragged out of King’s Landing by spymaster Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) in an effort to save him from the fratricidal Aemond, gets an up-close look at the petty tyrants who have sprouted up in the countryside thanks to his impetuous rule.
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Examples range from businesses like Enron, Tyco, and Bernie Madoff, along with historical tyrants like Stalin or Hitler to modern figures like Putin, and industries like tobacco that knowingly harm users for profit.
Cite this Entry
“Authoritarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/authoritarian. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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