1
as in disciplinarians
Related Words
Relevance
2
as in dictators
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
But would-be and actual dictators do tend to follow a common set of strategies to consolidate power.—
Christopher Justin Einolf,
The Conversation,
22 May 2026
-
The opportunity to interview these people would never have been turned down by other organizations, but there was also a sense that these dictators and terrorists and authoritarians were realizing that CNN were giving them this unfiltered platform to speak to the American people.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
This president, who called his treasonous supporters to arms, wants our tax dollars to compensate these tyrants.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
27 May 2026
-
Because, after all, as in all of Haber’s novels, the point is not really what is happening in the world but what is happening in the mind—in this case the mind of the pettiest of tyrants.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Noun
-
The rise of the grammar sticklers Many of today’s ideas about what constitutes correct English are based on a singular – often mistaken – 19th-century view of the forces that govern our language.—
Valerie M. Fridland,
The Conversation,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Yes, some sticklers would insist that greatly should never stand between to and excel.—
Jake Lundberg,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Boys – Season 5 (Prime Video) Things have gone from bad to worse in the final season of The Boys, Prime Video’s irreverent superhero satire about America succumbing to charismatic despots and fascistic opportunists.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
Underlying such obvious acts of aggression lies an insidious tendency for transnational repression to flow from despots into democracies, oppressing lawyers of all nationalities in the process.—
Irwin Cotler,
Time,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Arsenal are the kings of marginal games, beating their opponents with physicality, pressing and defensive possession.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
-
Out of college at the University of Nebraska, Hendy had worked a white-collar job with Union Pacific before following the lure of the automobile to Denver, where a boyhood friend who had bicycled off in search of fortune had wound up as one of the first automotive kings of the West.—
Eric Moskowitz,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Authoritarians.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/authoritarians. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
