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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Of course, the titular Boys will try their best to end his tyranny.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
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But his stance against the president’s tyranny is a call to action in the same vein as John Paul II’s exhortation to the free world to oppose the Soviet empire.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Post-fascism doesn’t involve paramilitaries or do away with elections outright.—
Isaac Stanley-Becker,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
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Eventually, that nativist turn would take America into a series of constitutional crises and to the edge of some American version of fascism.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The banner, more reminiscent of the way leaders are plastered on government buildings in a dictatorship like North Korea, is just the type of gesture the president expects.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Apr. 2026
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Fifty years ago, just after the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, about 90% of residents were Catholic.—
Alexis Marshall,
NPR,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Jury President Wim Wenders praised the film for its portrait of life under totalitarianism saying the story would chime with and serve as a wakeup call for people all over the world.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
21 Feb. 2026
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His loathing for totalitarianism was among the very few hatreds Reagan ever held, his biographer Edmund Morris said.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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Advice or even just notions—only check email after noon; never do 10 reps of crunches—solidify into absolutism or vanish.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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For 12 years, Maduro presided over the hollowing out of Venezuela as the steward of Chavismo, the hybrid regime forged by Hugo Chavez that wrapped authoritarianism in a democratic disguise.—
Boris Muñoz,
Time,
3 Apr. 2026
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There’s that attraction that comes through from her mom, the idea of the American pull to this authoritarianism.—
Fiction Non Fiction,
Literary Hub,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Totalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totalism. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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