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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as in authoritarian
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of totalitarian
Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
The Handmaid's Tale spared no sensitivities when diving into the cruelest treatment people like June, and even Lydia, experience at the hands of a totalitarian system bent on the total subjection of women.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 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
Training people to believe they are fated, or even happy, to live without freedom, rights or real choice is the only way a totalitarian society can survive.
—Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
The Handmaid's Tale spared no sensitivities when diving into the cruelest treatment people like June, and even Lydia, experience at the hands of a totalitarian system bent on the total subjection of women.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 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
-
An especially visually striking debut, Mosquitoes exists in a saturated hyperreality that is consummately engrossing, and announces the Bertani sisters as formidable portraitists of girlhood cast against the backdrop of an alternately beautiful and oppressive world.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Snakes, freeways, difficult men and Didion’s quiet brutality hang in the air like the oppressive heat of this unusually warm spring day.—
Maddie Connors,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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If calling a politician an aspiring authoritarian is tantamount to inciting their murder, then doing so is irresponsible even if the charge is true.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
The game is a playground for Russian oligarchs, Middle Eastern potentates, and Latin American strongmen—his people.—
Franklin Foer,
The Atlantic,
7 Apr. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Almost overnight, countries that had long outsourced their energy security to autocrats found their supplies cut, and their economies shaken.—
Jennifer Granholm,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Starting an expensive professional golf league was a roundabout way to launder the reputation of a violent autocrat.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The other side states calling someone a dictator and all is OK and not hatred.—
Ticked Off,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 May 2026
-
Throughout his questioning, Corrales repeatedly invoked the experiences of other Latin American countries, describing Moïse as a dictator who was close to drug traffickers.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Lane’s Willy is both a paternal tyrant and a wounded bear, growling if anyone interrupts him yet unable to conceal his soft underbelly.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Totalitarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totalitarian. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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