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 American public is dismayed and frustrated that Congress is not stepping up to protect our nation against the extreme tyranny of this administration.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
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Those divergent truths point to the sober reality that the vast majority of people who have existed on this planet lived under some form of tyranny.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Noun
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Drawing on her everyday experiences as a single mother, her work addresses issues connected to the political domestication of women, authoritarianism and fascism, the patriarchy and capitalism.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
7 May 2026
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But these arrangements fell apart as fascism rose across Europe and Asia and regimes from Nazi Germany to Imperial Japan denounced their international legal obligations.—
Vivek Krishnamurthy,
The Conversation,
5 May 2026
Noun
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The filmmaker explores how Inés’ coming of age mirrors the lingering wounds of Chile’s political transition to democracy from the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet – a theme at the heart of Martelli’s feature debut Chile ’76, which premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
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Many had argued that the banner, which largely meditates on the violence of the Suharto dictatorship in Indonesia, contained antisemitic caricatures.—
Harrison Jacobs,
ARTnews.com,
12 May 2026
Noun
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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
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Another totalitarianism, so recently an ally, was already on the march.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
1 May 2026
Noun
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The result is the extreme polarization and absolutism.—
Andrew Cuomo,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
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Iran’s ruling system is often described in political terms, but critics and former insiders say its core is far more radical — a belief structure rooted in religious absolutism, messianic expectation and a worldview that leaves little room for compromise.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The young Forster recoiled from the school’s culture of authoritarianism and militaristic chauvinism, which may have found expression in the students’ often appalling attitudes toward their own mothers.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
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Drawing on her everyday experiences as a single mother, her work addresses issues connected to the political domestication of women, authoritarianism and fascism, the patriarchy and capitalism.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Totalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totalism. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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