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
Such a nakedly partisan message would not work in Boca, where the Republican base cares less about Trumpian authoritarianism and more about high quality of life and low taxes.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2026
These days, Turcios’s politics encompass economic populism, America First nationalism, and religious authoritarianism.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026
Nations can’t just blink away the nightmares of authoritarianism or assume that removing a strongman will resolve the societal conditions that led to his rise.
—Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Hate, division, and authoritarianism aren’t new enemies.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
For over three decades, Khamenei subjected Iranians to severe authoritarianism and repression, culminating in him ordering the security forces to shoot and kill thousands of Iranians during the protests in January 2026, not to mention those in previous years.
—Eric Lob, The Conversation, 2 Mar. 2026
Putting private anguish and public witnessing into forceful tension, Paksa fashioned a productively ambivalent rubric for the artist under authoritarianism.
—Daniel R. Quiles, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
The overall trajectory represents movement toward authoritarianism and democratic erosion, with scapegoating of Black, brown, and immigrant communities serving as justification for expanding federal power and potential election interference.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
The change of mentality is profound, even with the obstacles left behind by 12 years of authoritarianism.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2026
These days, Turcios’s politics encompass economic populism, America First nationalism, and religious authoritarianism.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026
Nations can’t just blink away the nightmares of authoritarianism or assume that removing a strongman will resolve the societal conditions that led to his rise.
—Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Hate, division, and authoritarianism aren’t new enemies.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
For over three decades, Khamenei subjected Iranians to severe authoritarianism and repression, culminating in him ordering the security forces to shoot and kill thousands of Iranians during the protests in January 2026, not to mention those in previous years.
—Eric Lob, The Conversation, 2 Mar. 2026
Putting private anguish and public witnessing into forceful tension, Paksa fashioned a productively ambivalent rubric for the artist under authoritarianism.
—Daniel R. Quiles, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
The overall trajectory represents movement toward authoritarianism and democratic erosion, with scapegoating of Black, brown, and immigrant communities serving as justification for expanding federal power and potential election interference.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
The change of mentality is profound, even with the obstacles left behind by 12 years of authoritarianism.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for authoritarianism
Noun
-
Cutié, 56, knows about the tyranny many Cubans have lived under.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Was her exclusion from the political world not its own kind of tyranny?—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The White House believes Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is calling the shots, a significant change from the theocratic dictatorship that has existed since the country's 1979 revolution.—
Jennifer Jacobs,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Where the Silence Is Heard follows her journey of renovating the house and piecing together her family’s history, which has been colored by the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, exile, and decades of silence.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Originally, the trophy seemed like Sean Penn’s to lose, for turning in an unforgettable transformation as the physical embodiment of fascism.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Hopefully the majority of people who still wish to live in a free society will vote in November to overturn the Republican march away from freedom and to autocracy and fascism.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There’s a lot of different crumbs of what leads to the autocracy, to the potential dictatorship.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Hopefully the majority of people who still wish to live in a free society will vote in November to overturn the Republican march away from freedom and to autocracy and fascism.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Jury President Wim Wenders praised the film for its portrait of life under totalitarianism saying the story would chime with and serve as a wakeup call for people all over the world.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
21 Feb. 2026
-
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
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 19 Mar. 2026.
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