totalitarian 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of totalitariannext
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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totalitarian

2 of 2

noun

as in authoritarian

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of totalitarian
Adjective
The new Hulu spin-off follows the teen girls of Gilead, who grow up with a far different view of the totalitarian regime than the Handmaids. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 27 May 2026 The heartbreaking and ironic thing is that democracy has given rise, through the proper, right voting mechanism, to this kind of totalitarian regime. — Zack Sharf, Variety, 20 May 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
  1. oppressive
  2. authoritarian
  3. potentate
  4. autocrat
  5. dictator
  6. tyrant
Adjective
  • In addition to facing each other, the Norway and England players will also have to battle oppressive heat and humidity on Saturday.
    — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 11 July 2026
  • Rents in Rhode Island are particularly oppressive, with the average for a three-bedroom home costing nearly 30% of median income.
    — Scott Cohn, CNBC, 10 July 2026
Definition of oppressive
Noun
  • Yet this year so far has been a dicey one for the Russian authoritarian.
    — Daniel DePetris, Mercury News, 23 May 2026
  • Yet this year so far has been a dicey one for the Russian authoritarian.
    — Daniel DePetris, Twin Cities, 15 May 2026
Definition of authoritarian
Noun
  • With 775 rooms, the palace also provides office space for the royal bureaucracy and hosts lavish state dinners for visiting presidents and potentates.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 26 June 2026
  • With 775 rooms, the palace also provides office space for the royal bureaucracy and hosts lavish state dinners for visiting presidents and potentates.
    — Danica Kirka, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026
Definition of potentate
Noun
  • Typically reserved for autocrats and crime bosses, sanctions can be devastating.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026
  • Trump will also meet with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former insurgent who led the offensive that unseated autocrat Bashar Assad in December 2024.
    — Seung Min Kim, Chicago Tribune, 8 July 2026
Definition of autocrat
Noun
  • In the 2022 election, Sara was the running mate of presidential candidate Marcos Jr, son of the dictator who ruled for 20 years before being deposed in 1986.
    — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 9 July 2026
  • Trump has praised Communist dictators in terms unlike those used by any American president outside the context of a wartime alliance.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
Definition of dictator
Noun
  • Because, after all, as in all of Haber’s novels, the point is not really what is happening in the world but what is happening in the mind—in this case the mind of the pettiest of tyrants.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 July 2026
  • Joseph Stalin—the Soviet Union’s supreme ruler from 1929 to 1953 and a murderous tyrant legendary for drinking friends and enemies under the table—was a closet oenophile, the e-mail explained.
    — Frankie Mills, Air Mail, 27 June 2026
Definition of tyrant

Browse Nearby Words

totalism
totalitarian
totalitarianism
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Cite this Entry

“Totalitarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totalitarian. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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