as in totalitarian
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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
Cooper was obsessed with the New World Order and the actions of jackbooted government enforcers against the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, and white separatist Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge, Idaho.
—Andrew Stuttaford, WSJ, 19 Sep. 2018
Likethumb_up Replyreply Linklink Copy Reportflag eraley 22 minutes ago
Trump’s America and his jackbooted thugs.
—Marwa Eltagouri, Washington Post, 28 May 2018
These are the words and actions similar to low-level criminals in the mob or jackbooted followers of fascist leaders in 1930s Europe, not the president of the United States in 2018.
—David Zurawik, baltimoresun.com, 26 Mar. 2018
But what makes director Jeremy Wechsler’s production engaging throughout is the way the cast commits to these characters without turning them into caricatures of either obsessive-nerd culture or jackbooted thugs.
—Kerry Reid, chicagotribune.com, 31 Jan. 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
Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
Cooper was obsessed with the New World Order and the actions of jackbooted government enforcers against the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, and white separatist Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge, Idaho.
—Andrew Stuttaford, WSJ, 19 Sep. 2018
Likethumb_up Replyreply Linklink Copy Reportflag eraley 22 minutes ago
Trump’s America and his jackbooted thugs.
—Marwa Eltagouri, Washington Post, 28 May 2018
These are the words and actions similar to low-level criminals in the mob or jackbooted followers of fascist leaders in 1930s Europe, not the president of the United States in 2018.
—David Zurawik, baltimoresun.com, 26 Mar. 2018
But what makes director Jeremy Wechsler’s production engaging throughout is the way the cast commits to these characters without turning them into caricatures of either obsessive-nerd culture or jackbooted thugs.
—Kerry Reid, chicagotribune.com, 31 Jan. 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
-
The heartbreaking and ironic thing is that democracy has given rise, through the proper, right voting mechanism, to this kind of totalitarian regime.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
20 May 2026
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Possible sharing of nuclear secrets The claim that North Korea was the likely recipient of the two reactors allegedly aboard the ship comes after the secretive totalitarian regime released images in December 2025 of its first nuclear submarine.—
Pau Mosquera,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
Adjective
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The dialogue is well-crafted, the Southern atmosphere (Atlanta doubling Savannah, with Savannah here and there standing for itself) suitably oppressive.—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
Dew points above 65 degrees indicate a high level of moisture in the air, making the heat oppressive.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Regardless of why Americans express neutrality, those who do so are just as likely to vote for authoritarian politicians as the relatively small number of Americans (less than 1 in 5) who explicitly support undemocratic practices.—
Matthew E.K. Hall,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
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Safety regulations – intended to constrain corporate power – in authoritarian regimes become tools to coerce compliance.—
Michael Gregory,
The Conversation,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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However, to embrace his destiny Adam must become He-Man, return to his home planet, reclaim the Sword of Power and save his people from the tyrannical Skeletor.—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
1 June 2026
-
And intrusion by Sacramento lawmakers is nothing short of tyrannical.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Academy rules work for countries with democratic governments but not for countries with despotic regimes.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
4 May 2026
-
Hard to Be a God is about a planet that has not been allowed to advance beyond the Middle Ages, and descended into a filthy, despotic, and violent world.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In Russia, czarist monuments were replaced by statues of Communist leaders, which in turn were torn down — statues of Stalin also fell in Hungary, Georgia and Albania.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Compared to their forerunners in the tsarist era, with their party congresses held abroad, their executive committees, and their active recruitment in imperial Russia’s universities, Soviet dissidents remained a comparatively small and informal conglomeration of activists.—
Benjamin Nathans
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Platforms delegate the illusion of control and trade on a libertarian myth to obscure the autocratic reality.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
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Magyar, whose center-right Tisza party defeated far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his nationalist-populist Fidesz in an earthquake election last month, has vowed to dismantle the political and economic system his autocratic predecessor spent 16 years building.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
These tyrannous tabbies don’t understand that canning is not exclusively for wet food.—
Julie Klausner,
Vulture,
27 Dec. 2024
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Indeed, Daniel Roher’s pulse-pumping documentary about the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has all the ingredients: a mysterious case of near-fatal poisoning, a web of for-hire hoodlums, Vladimir Putin as the tyrannous leader behind it all.—
Tomris Laffly,
Harper's BAZAAR,
1 Feb. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Jackbooted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jackbooted. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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