as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
warned that forfeiture of civil liberties for the sake of security would only result in the terror of totalism
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Recent Examples of totalism
Common sense and a mania for systematization, logical thinking and ideological totalism, are constantly at war in the French character, as a belief in instant happiness and a paranoia about imaginary enemies are in the American.
—
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2022
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totalism
Noun
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The new aircraft will challenge that tyranny with non-stop, point to point service between the largest cities in Australia and Great Britain.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
The vaunted ability of mass media to unify the globe here comes off as a benevolent form of tyranny, of a consensual unanimity in which the bearer of truth gains total attention, total acceptance, and total gratitude.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Antifa is short for anti-fascist or anti-fascism.—
Jeff Wagner,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
-
The demonstration, which had been previously organized by a hodgepodge of activist groups after weeks of negotiations with local authorities, was otherwise peaceful — with environmentalists, women’s rights advocates, supporters of Palestinians and foes of imperialism, fascism and capitalism.—
Jamey Keaten,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Noun
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Building tension gave way to war in 1982, when Argentina, then under a brutal dictatorship, sent a military expedition to the islands.—
Cesar R. Torres,
The Conversation,
17 June 2026
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Public anger over Chun’s dictatorship led to massive nationwide protests in 1987, forcing him to accept a constitutional revision introducing direct presidential elections, which is widely seen as the start of South Korea’s transition to democracy.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 June 2026
Noun
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Visual artist and historian Ranfis Suárez Ramos highlighted the importance of internet access for Cubans as a way to break the hold of totalitarianism.—
Sarah Moreno
June 5,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2026
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His parents’ experience living under totalitarianism shaped his outlook on the world.—
Iris Kwok
May 12,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Noun
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In fact, that kind of absolutism is a good way to become part of another kind of silencing, another kind of injustice.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
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The result is the extreme polarization and absolutism.—
Andrew Cuomo,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
Noun
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Rent it on most major platforms Forbidden to enter the stadium, several Iranian women sneak in dressed as men to watch a World Cup qualifying match in the master director Jafar Panahi’s movie about everyday defiance under authoritarianism.—
Carlos Aguilar,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 June 2026
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The handmaids’ crimson robes evolved into protest iconography around the world because the story captured fears about authoritarianism and gender more viscerally than overt political messaging ever could.—
Marc Adelman,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Totalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totalism. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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