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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for authoritarianism
Noun
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The guitar, by transitive property, broke down racial and class barriers, fought tyranny, freed up minds and bodies.—
Nick Paumgarten,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025 -
The Founding Fathers, having witnessed the abuses of centralized power under British rule, embedded this model into the Constitution to ensure a system of checks and balances, where each branch could limit the powers of the others, safeguarding against tyranny and upholding the rule of law.—
Andy J. Semotiuk,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
Noun
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For instance, during Rafael Trujillo’s dictatorship in the Dominican Republic from 1930 to 1961, the head of intelligence, Johnny Abbes, was plucked from obscurity in Mexico and in 1958 began to lead the dictator’s repression machine.—
Erica Frantz,
The Conversation,
16 May 2025
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In the Soviet dictatorship, this was meant literally: engineers and senior managers in charge of color film production would be denounced, arrested, and executed during the Great Purges of 1937–1838.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
15 May 2025
Noun
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Andor is an amazing work of art, not just as a Star Wars show but as an overall series with incredible writing, acting, production values and a relevant take on the rise of fascism.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
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The long arm of fascism has stretched all the way to this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where, quite suddenly, nobody is allowed to be naked on the red carpet anymore.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
13 May 2025
Noun
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They are caught up by the logics of war and autocracy.—
Ritesh Mehta,
IndieWire,
16 May 2025
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There is certainly a connection between autocracy and corruption.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
16 May 2025
Noun
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Communism and other forms of totalitarianism are often said to be antihuman.—
Rich Lowry,
National Review,
19 May 2025
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This lively novel examines the compromises and complicity of artists working in the face of totalitarianism through a fictional retelling of the life of the Austrian film director G. W. Pabst.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
Noun
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The necessity of power sharing also meant that Congress could provide a check against despotism even if the same party held the Presidency and a majority in both houses.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2025
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And there are worse messages to be putting out into the world via family films right now than celebrating the virtues of kindness and fairness over cruel despotism.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Authoritarianism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/authoritarianism. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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