as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
in times of crisis, when a nation's people are frightened, there are often calls for totalitarianism
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Recent Examples of totalitarianism
Jury President Wim Wenders praised the film for its portrait of life under totalitarianism saying the story would chime with and serve as a wakeup call for people all over the world.
—
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 21 Feb. 2026
After Al Qaeda and then Saddam Hussein abruptly emerged as incarnations of a new totalitarianism, Michael Ignatieff and Niall Ferguson, among many others, impatiently urged the United States to assume its imperial obligations and impose democracy, human rights, and free trade through war.
—Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
This was about stopping totalitarianism.
—NBC news, 23 Nov. 2025
Also, in part as a defense against totalitarianism, many countries signed on to international agreements upholding academic freedom, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
—David P. Baker, The Conversation, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for totalitarianism
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 21 Feb. 2026
After Al Qaeda and then Saddam Hussein abruptly emerged as incarnations of a new totalitarianism, Michael Ignatieff and Niall Ferguson, among many others, impatiently urged the United States to assume its imperial obligations and impose democracy, human rights, and free trade through war.
—Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
This was about stopping totalitarianism.
—NBC news, 23 Nov. 2025
Also, in part as a defense against totalitarianism, many countries signed on to international agreements upholding academic freedom, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
—David P. Baker, The Conversation, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for totalitarianism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totalitarianism
Noun
-
One requirement of self-governance is the relentless pursuit of truth, which necessarily involves questioning people in positions of power in order to prevent tyranny.—
Adrienne LaFrance,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
-
Suddenly, guardrails are not tyranny but common sense.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
Noun
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While India’s media landscape has largely retreated in the face of the Hindu right’s fascism, Kandasamy is one of the few consistently at the barricades.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
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Talking to Deadline ahead of the screening, Loach says the conflict still resonates with the Left to this day as the first international fight against fascism.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
19 May 2026
Noun
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Stolen from his Chilean mother as a baby and raised in suburban Chicago, 36-year-old Kyle Adler finally reunites with her, confronting an identity shaped by dictatorship-era trafficking.—
Vanessa A. Alvarez,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2026
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Every administration since the Marcos dictatorship has directed particular attention to the island of Negros, which has seen considerable NPA activity because of the area’s chronic struggles over land rights.—
Patrick Peralta,
The Conversation,
28 May 2026
Noun
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This represents one major leap in the direction of authoritarianism — the president directly raiding the public offers to enrich cronies, not just via his corrupt business dealings and pseudo-bribes from foreign governments, but straight up getting checks from the public treasury.—
New York Daily News,
Twin Cities,
28 May 2026
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With the country engulfed in flames, the conservative government maintained itself through repression and authoritarianism.—
Roberto Andrés,
The Dial,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Totalitarianism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totalitarianism. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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