as in oppressive
controlling the people of a country in a very strict way with complete power that cannot be opposed
A totalitarian state that did not even allow outsiders to visit.
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Dissimilar Words
as in authoritarian
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of totalitarian
Daniel R. Quiles, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Education isn’t a cure-all; North Korea appears to have decent schools yet is impoverished and totalitarian.
—Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
Sarah Todd, Quartz, 27 Dec. 2019
Some of his most popular works were surrealistic fantasies set in grisly worlds run by totalitarians and conformists.
—Fox News, 28 June 2018
See All Example Sentences for totalitarian
Adjective
Paksa restages the medium’s tendency toward repetition but strips it of entertainment value, revealing the medium as an extension of totalitarian control.
—Daniel R. Quiles, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Education isn’t a cure-all; North Korea appears to have decent schools yet is impoverished and totalitarian.
—Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
Noun
And there’s another reason why totalitarians capable of horrific human rights violations are a real hosting nightmare.
—Sarah Todd, Quartz, 27 Dec. 2019
Some of his most popular works were surrealistic fantasies set in grisly worlds run by totalitarians and conformists.
—Fox News, 28 June 2018
See All Example Sentences for totalitarian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totalitarian
Adjective
-
The music was sufficiently groovy, the costumes era-appropriate (miniskirts, Travolta-tight slacks), yet nothing conjured the tension of an oppressive August day—and nobody broke a sweat.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Many observers, including Iranians in the diaspora, hoped for the collapse of the oppressive Islamic Republic of Iran and a decisive end to its nuclear program and military reach.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Khomeini was a leader of opposition to the shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, an authoritarian who wanted to modernize the country.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Khamenei, 87, who had been in power for more than three decades, was viewed by critics as a repressive authoritarian responsible for the mass murder of thousands of protesters and other human rights abuses.—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Biden put this sentiment into action by working with Netanyahu despite serious moral and political failures in Gaza, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on NATO expansion, and with Gulf potentates on the region’s security architecture.—
James Jeffrey,
Foreign Affairs,
13 Nov. 2025
-
Why don’t all the rich potentates, sheiks, oligarchs and MAGA dictators meet and fix it?—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
25 June 2025
Noun
-
Indeed, Xi’s reign in Beijing illustrates, especially now, what happens when an autocrat’s personal interests run counter to his country’s needs.—
Michael Schuman,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Even as long-reigning autocrats such as Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are removed from power, the outlook for the global state of democracy remains highly uncertain.—
Yana Gorokhovskaia,
Washington Post,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The delegation — the first since Russian dictator Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea in March 2014 — was headed, symbolically, by Vyacheslav Nikonov, a lawmaker from Putin’s United Russia party and the grandson of Joseph Stalin’s Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov.—
Vladimir Kara-Murza,
Washington Post,
3 Apr. 2026
-
More like a memo from the dictator, telling gullible loyalists what to think.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Trump wants to rule over us as a tyrant.—
Killian Baarlaer,
Louisville Courier Journal,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Colletti joins One Piece as Wapol, a tyrant and adversary to the Straw Hats.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Totalitarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totalitarian. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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