1
as in disciplinarians
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2
as in dictators
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Recent Examples of authoritarians
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
Christopher Justin Einolf, The Conversation, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for authoritarians
Noun
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With a bottomless well of ideas, relentless encouragement, and a grin that only seems to widen by the season, the Wichita, Kansas, native runs TV’s most prolific reality competition series as the most benevolent of dictators.—
David Canfield,
Vanity Fair,
20 Jan. 2026
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Based in Boston, the international corporation networked with dictators and local officials in Central America, many Caribbean islands and parts of South America to acquire immense estates for railroads and banana plantations.—
Aaron Coy Moulton,
The Conversation,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Those historians were impressed by how much personal force the old tyrants could generate.—
David Brooks,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
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The world is full of bad actors—cheats, liars, tyrants, sickos—who are, ultimately, mere human beings; at least, this was how rationality would have it.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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As carry-on only travelers, Ryan and I are sticklers about efficient packing.—
Kristine Thomason,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Aug. 2025
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Regardless of what legal-ethics sticklers might think of its business model, the 156-person startup has been growing quickly.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
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So what if the Engineers copied their own DNA to create humanity; how would the discovery of their existence further embolden the wealthy, who already see themselves as new gods, and drive further wedges between despots like the Five?—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Sep. 2025
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That’s reminiscent of what the despots of Eastern Europe did during the Cold War, building huge concrete apartment blocks with meager square-foot allotments per family.—
Betsy McCaughey,
Boston Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Work is work, and there’s writerly reward, too, in daily encounters with a diverse range of taskmasters across all social groups.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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With war looming and chaos consuming the kingdom —drawing in the ruthless kings of other Scandinavian countries and even a powerful English ruler — the stage is set for a thundering, cataclysmic, compelling, and utterly magical new Norse saga.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2026
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Justice Sonia Sotomayor recently questioned whether Americans know the difference between presidents and kings.—
Jamie Holmes,
Twin Cities,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Authoritarians.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/authoritarians. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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