JACKBOOTED Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

jackbooted

adjective

Definition of jackbooted

as in totalitarian

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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 jackbooted Karol let those lines here serve as her brief indictment of the present, jackbooted environment around immigration and repression in the United States. — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026 Hungary under his rule is far from a jackbooted dictatorship, but its democracy is diverging markedly from that of many of its partners in the European Union. — Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2018 Was Rizzo a jackbooted tyrant who went out of his way to punish blacks and gays? — David Gambacorta, Philly.com, 22 Aug. 2017 For some, the racist taunts of the past few days recalled a time when jackbooted members of the far-right National Front taunted immigrants on the streets of Britain in the 1980s, during the painful deindustrialization of the Thatcher era. — Dan Bilefsky, New York Times, 27 June 2016

Recent Examples of Synonyms for jackbooted

Adjective

Whether or not Vance can see the totalitarian logic of his arguments is unknown.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
Orwell was exploring the roles that euphemism, tangled syntax, and dying metaphors can play in obscuring the true intentions of a totalitarian state.

— Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of totalitarian

Adjective

Thomas shocks Vision back to life, but this somehow alerts Butcherbird; Vision’s mindscape fills with oppressive red lighting, ominously circling birds, and TVs crackling with static.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
The tropical sun was oppressive, but company representatives were prepared with orange parasols, each with a dedicated barcode.

— Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of oppressive

Adjective

The case centers on the Cuban government shooting down two Brothers to the Rescue flights, a civilian rescue group dedicated to saving refugees fleeing the authoritarian Castro regime — then run by Raul Castro’s older brother Fidel.

— Liv Caputo Herald, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
The former authoritarian president is eyeing a return as prime minister after the Sunday vote.

— Teresa Medrano, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of authoritarian

Adjective

Putting your face on the passport, like forcing your name onto another President’s memorial, is a symptom of tyrannical egotism, exactly opposite to the republican premise.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026
Like Lorca’s title monster, this Alba is a towering tyrannical figure.

— Bill Hirschman, Sun Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of tyrannical

Adjective

Any transgression of new standards of speech and behavior could put someone at risk of social banishment, in the truly despotic shape of cancellation.

— Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
The comedy of errors that follows as Ina attempts to solve the nation’s problems, from traffic congestion to energy crisis, doubles as a critique of the despotic regime and the tumult of living in such hellish times.

— Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of despotic

Adjective

This would eventually lead to the overthrow of the tsarist autocracy and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy.

— James Folta, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
That war ended in a humiliating defeat by an enemy regarded as much weaker, and many tsarist officials blamed the outcome on Japanese spies and saboteurs.

— Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of czarist

Adjective

Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party took power following the popular ouster in 2024 of autocratic former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whom India granted sanctuary, deepening the rift between the neighbors.

— Charlie Campbell, Time, 20 Oct. 2026
Instead, the board should function as a concert of great powers, both democratic and autocratic, tasked with managing crises and overseeing and building consensus on matters of global governance.

— Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of autocratic

Adjective

These tyrannous tabbies don’t understand that canning is not exclusively for wet food.

— Julie Klausner, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
The same study posited that Fela was not the only popular musician who confronted the military and tyrannous leaders of Nigeria between independence in 1960 and Fela’s passing in 1997.

— Garhe Osiebe, Quartz Africa, 21 Feb. 2021

Definition of tyrannous

Browse Nearby Words

jackasses

jackbooted

jacked (up)

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“Jackbooted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jackbooted. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of jackbooted

adjective

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