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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in authoritarian
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of totalitarian
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 8 Apr. 2025
The story is set in a totalitarian society that utilizes deadly game shows for punishment.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 4 Apr. 2025
Néstor T. Carbonell, National Review, 16 July 2021
And there’s another reason why totalitarians capable of horrific human rights violations are a real hosting nightmare.
—Sarah Todd, Quartz, 27 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for totalitarian
Adjective
The series, which stars Elisabeth Moss, is set in Gilead, a totalitarian society in what used to be the United States of America, which treats women as property of the state.
—Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 8 Apr. 2025
The story is set in a totalitarian society that utilizes deadly game shows for punishment.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 4 Apr. 2025
Noun
But that would not address the fundamental goal of the protests: to end the totalitarian stranglehold that has subjected the Cubans to an unbearable serfdom.
—Néstor T. Carbonell, National Review, 16 July 2021
And there’s another reason why totalitarians capable of horrific human rights violations are a real hosting nightmare.
—Sarah Todd, Quartz, 27 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for totalitarian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totalitarian
Adjective
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Contracts of adhesion are sometimes seen as oppressive, especially in the consumer context, but courts often regard them as enforceable.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
20 May 2025
-
The United States held Qaddafi’s Libya up as a success story in the global war on terror, a former rogue state that had made amends for its murderous past, relinquished its nuclear-weapons program and reoriented its oppressive state apparatus around American foreign-policy priorities.—
Henry Leutwyler Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Quinton Kamara,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
From 2019 to 2020, the authoritarian petrostate paid $115,000 a month to now–Attorney General Pam Bondi and her firm to lobby on its behalf.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2025
-
Orwell authored 1984, a bleak vision of the future where an authoritarian regime weaponizes language to suppress independent thought and rewrite history.—
Jason Snyder,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
Noun
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With the pandemic, the year-round population of a once-seasonal resort town swelled with Manhattan refugees, those in the Trump orbit, and tech and finance potentates, many of them serious collectors like Ken Griffin and Steve Ross.—
Ben Widdicombe,
Vulture,
12 May 2025
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But in his mid-80s, King George ponders whether to abdicate and devote his remaining days to finding female companionship (the aging potentate remains potent with the help of Viagra and similar pharmaceuticals).—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
5 May 2025
Noun
-
May 14, 2025 4 min read The red flags abound—political research tells us the U.S. is becoming an autocracy By Dan Vergano As president, Donald Trump pretty much checks all the warning boxes for an autocrat.—
Dan Vergano,
Scientific American,
14 May 2025
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But Trump's disruption of the Western alliance, his appeasement of autocrats, and his abandonment of global stability have made the world a far scarier place.—
Mohammed Soliman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Syrian rebels overthrew dictator Bashar al Assad in December.—
Tom Perry,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
-
Libya has been embroiled in a political conflict since long-time dictator Moammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011, leading to the emergence of several armed groups.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
13 May 2025
Noun
-
Serena's reluctant to put a target on her husband's head, so June happily reminds her that Gabriel's a tyrant not fit to raise Noah.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
20 May 2025
-
By the end of the finale episode, Kingpin has essentially taken control of the entire city and the Punisher is kidnapped by the corrupt police but Daredevil is assembling his own army to combat the tyrant.—
Skyler Trepel,
People.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Totalitarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totalitarian. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
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