as in totalitarian
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Recent Examples of jackbooted
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
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
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
Andrew Stuttaford, WSJ, 19 Sep. 2018
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
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
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Eighty years later, Kubilius says, Western democracies face a different form of totalitarian aggression.—
Tamar Jacoby,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Still, the subtext remained clear and ominous: The United States is at risk of becoming a real-life Gilead, the totalitarian regime that rules over what used to be America in The Handmaid’s Tale.—
Jen Chaney,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The Collector is also hoping these will satiate the growing wants of his oppressive overlord, The Forger (Roddy Ricch), who has mysterious motives of his own.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2025
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The current war in Sudan involves civil strife and shifting allegiances, in which one oppressive regime was toppled by a coalition, which then turned in on itself, leading to an even more vicious war.—
Lawrence D. Freedman,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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His parents were Italian immigrants who fled Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime, and his grandmother Rosa Margherita Vassallo di Bergoglio was active in Catholic Action, formed by Italian bishops who wanted to maintain their independence from Mussolini’s authoritarian rule.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
21 Apr. 2025
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Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been called an authoritarian, and previous reports have noted restrictions to civil liberties.—
Graham Smith,
NPR,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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And what can today’s resistance movements facing tyrannical regimes learn from their success?—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2025
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Howard plays himself as a tyrannical auteur who petulantly refuses to cut a vacuous scene from his overlong thriller, warding off pleas only to change his mind at the moment of truth.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In these ways, Trump’s despotic acts are indeed without precedent in American history.—
Patrick Eddington,
Oc Register,
20 Apr. 2025
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It was first created in 1942 specifically to serve as a foil to Axis disinformation and over the years became a beacon of hope to people living under all manner of totalitarian and despotic governments.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Critics, including autocratic governments across the region, view it as a threat.—
Omar Akour,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
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As Jews prepare to celebrate Passover’s theme of freedom, Israel and the United States face the prospect of autocratic rule.—
Ben Krull,
New York Daily News,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
Adjective
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El Salvador President Nayib Bukele may have found the best description for Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s new approach to dictatorial regimes: a laughing emoji.—
Mary Ellen Klas,
Mercury News,
12 Apr. 2025
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In late March, Ahmad al-Shara, Syria’s new leader, introduced a caretaker government that would supervise the country’s transition from five decades of dictatorial rule.—
Jerome Drevon,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Jackbooted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jackbooted. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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