as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
a critical period that saw a number of third-world countries abandon authoritarianism for democracy
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Recent Examples of authoritarianism
His government was accused of authoritarianism, repression of the opposition and electoral manipulation.
—
Jhasua Razo, CNN Money, 24 Jan. 2026
The danger here is not merely authoritarianism.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
Jafar Panahi’s searing (and often funny) social critique of authoritarianism did not fare well on the Oscar or BAFTA early lists.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Investigating Democrats for reminding members of the military of their oath fits with competitive authoritarianism.
—Marc Novicoff, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026
Screens, the rise of authoritarianism, persistent wars, AI everything, and climate anxiety—all problems that only seem to get worse by the week.
—Maya Silver, Outside, 20 Jan. 2026
Some Iranians remember his father’s reign as an era of development and close ties with the West; others recall authoritarianism and the notorious SAVAK secret police.
—Roxana Saberi, Time, 15 Jan. 2026
Long before authoritarianism took hold, many Venezuelans felt that the system no longer worked for them.
—Arkansas Online, 9 Jan. 2026
These efforts served as a soft-power hedge against authoritarianism, making clear that economic ties should also elevate human dignity.
—Tharo Khun, Sourcing Journal, 8 Jan. 2026
Jhasua Razo, CNN Money, 24 Jan. 2026
The danger here is not merely authoritarianism.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
Jafar Panahi’s searing (and often funny) social critique of authoritarianism did not fare well on the Oscar or BAFTA early lists.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Investigating Democrats for reminding members of the military of their oath fits with competitive authoritarianism.
—Marc Novicoff, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026
Screens, the rise of authoritarianism, persistent wars, AI everything, and climate anxiety—all problems that only seem to get worse by the week.
—Maya Silver, Outside, 20 Jan. 2026
Some Iranians remember his father’s reign as an era of development and close ties with the West; others recall authoritarianism and the notorious SAVAK secret police.
—Roxana Saberi, Time, 15 Jan. 2026
Long before authoritarianism took hold, many Venezuelans felt that the system no longer worked for them.
—Arkansas Online, 9 Jan. 2026
These efforts served as a soft-power hedge against authoritarianism, making clear that economic ties should also elevate human dignity.
—Tharo Khun, Sourcing Journal, 8 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for authoritarianism
Noun
-
The Declaration of Independence was meant to signal the rejection of tyranny and the empowerment of the individual to resist undue coercion.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
28 Jan. 2026
-
History does not record many cases in which a power-mad leader careening toward tyranny suddenly regained his senses and became more moderate.—
David Brooks,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This is not a dictatorship in the classic sense.—
Alejandro Reyes,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Mendonça was born in 1968, in the early years of a ruthless military dictatorship—a time when cinema, like much else, was harshly constrained.—
Stephania Taladrid,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The southern United States under the Jim Crow system of segregation, for example, was governed by a form of racial fascism premised not on a single powerful leader, but on decentralized groups of vigilantes and terrorists.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Jan. 2026
-
That is really thuggish fascism.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Amodei’s essay covers a lot of ground, from existential threats to fighting autocracy to saving jobs.—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Democracies, Amodei wrote, must move fast to outpace autocracies yet carefully to avoid catastrophe; China chip export controls, research into safe AI, and regulations on AI transparency will be vital.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
His loathing for totalitarianism was among the very few hatreds Reagan ever held, his biographer Edmund Morris said.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
9 Jan. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
The hope is that the institutional reforms started by the interim administration of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus deliver the necessary checks and balances to avert another lurch toward despotism.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The strength and powers of despotism consist wholly in the fear of resisting it.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
16 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Authoritarianism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/authoritarianism. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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