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
The Emergency is not a story of totalitarianism.
—
Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025
King wrote the 1982 action-adventure long before social media took over the world and, in an ironic twist, set his send-up of reality culture and totalitarianism in 2025.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
Taut and well-acted as this queasy little thriller can be, its unflinching tale of corporate authoritarianism is much too streamlined to reflect the emotional truth of watching totalitarianism in motion.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2025
Politically or electorally speaking, Maoism could hardly be less relevant in this day and age—no one wants egalitarian totalitarianism anymore than (most) people want fascism.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for totalitarianism
Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025
King wrote the 1982 action-adventure long before social media took over the world and, in an ironic twist, set his send-up of reality culture and totalitarianism in 2025.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
Taut and well-acted as this queasy little thriller can be, its unflinching tale of corporate authoritarianism is much too streamlined to reflect the emotional truth of watching totalitarianism in motion.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2025
Politically or electorally speaking, Maoism could hardly be less relevant in this day and age—no one wants egalitarian totalitarianism anymore than (most) people want fascism.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for totalitarianism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totalitarianism
Noun
-
The last was King Charles I, who was tried and executed in 1649 for high treason and tyranny.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Majority rule unconstrained by the rights of individuals is majority tyranny.—
Ben Bayer,
Oc Register,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Watching the tentacles of fascism spread like wildfire is hard.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
-
But democratic fascism is no contradiction.—
Ben Bayer,
Oc Register,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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And perhaps most important, by empowering Congress, not the president, to remedy deficient state electoral schemes, the Constitution prevents presidents from rewriting the election code by executive fiat and thus provides an additional safeguard against military dictatorship.—
Jeffrey Rosen,
The Atlantic,
16 Feb. 2026
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In this country, unlike in dictatorships, people expect to be able to identify law enforcement officers by sight and by badge number.—
William Robiner,
Twin Cities,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Negotiations divorced from accountability risk entrenching authoritarianism and teaching regimes that bloodshed is merely a prelude to diplomatic rehabilitation.—
Pegah Banihashemi,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa has found success in both scripted and documentary films, many of which explore the legacy of authoritarianism in Europe and its parallels with the present.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Totalitarianism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totalitarianism. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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