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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in authoritarian
Related Words
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
Joey Garrison, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
While The Handmaid’s Tale followed the women whose lives were upended by the enshrinement of totalitarian fascism, forcing them to become baby-making slaves, The Testaments is a coming-of-age story of girls whose only understanding of life is the grim reality of Gilead.
—Lucy Ford, Time, 27 Dec. 2025
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
In addition, the federal government can cite an individual's current or past affiliation with a totalitarian political party or terrorist organization.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
While The Handmaid’s Tale followed the women whose lives were upended by the enshrinement of totalitarian fascism, forcing them to become baby-making slaves, The Testaments is a coming-of-age story of girls whose only understanding of life is the grim reality of Gilead.
—Lucy Ford, Time, 27 Dec. 2025
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
-
Enoch confronts the celestial hosts, all wearing capes of swastika red under an oppressive horizon of jutting lightning and glaring orange mountains.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The film adapts Xianzhe Xu’s comic series and unfolds during China’s Sui Dynasty under Emperor Yang Guang’s oppressive reign.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Maduro — a left-wing authoritarian who ruled Venezuela for more than a decade while ignoring election results — was not just another foreign dictator.—
Dustin Olson,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
-
But here, such altruistic considerations do not justify capitulating to a lawless authoritarian in the White House.—
Max Potter,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 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
-
The book examines the worst acts of autocrats and tyrannical leaders dating back centuries.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Trump has also always had a thing for autocrats.—
Michael Schuman,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
That’s what dictators want to do.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The dictator had set his mind on claiming all the sunken treasure off his country’s coast and would brook no competition.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Feingold saw gaps in the legislation that a would-be tyrant could easily exploit.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The selfish tyrant attaches himself only to those others who share his selfishness, who are eager to wear the mask of perpetual lying.—
David Brooks,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Totalitarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totalitarian. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
