as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
concerning absolutism Lord Acton famously observed that "absolute power corrupts absolutely"
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Recent Examples of absolutism
The selection of Vance clarified the party’s absolutism.
—
Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post, 18 July 2024
Like some other Republican senators of his generation (Tom Cotton, of Arkansas; Josh Hawley, of Missouri; and Marco Rubio, of Florida, among them), Vance often stressed the need for Republicans to break from the free-market absolutism of the past.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
The result, in 1906, was the movement known as the Constitutional Revolution, which established a parliamentary system and brought about a short pause in Iran’s long history of absolutism.
—Amir A. Afkhami, Foreign Affairs, 2 Mar. 2020
This moral absolutism is antithetical to the university’s goal of advancing knowledge and critical inquiry.
—Jeffrey Koseff, Washington Post, 8 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for absolutism
Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post, 18 July 2024
Like some other Republican senators of his generation (Tom Cotton, of Arkansas; Josh Hawley, of Missouri; and Marco Rubio, of Florida, among them), Vance often stressed the need for Republicans to break from the free-market absolutism of the past.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
The result, in 1906, was the movement known as the Constitutional Revolution, which established a parliamentary system and brought about a short pause in Iran’s long history of absolutism.
—Amir A. Afkhami, Foreign Affairs, 2 Mar. 2020
This moral absolutism is antithetical to the university’s goal of advancing knowledge and critical inquiry.
—Jeffrey Koseff, Washington Post, 8 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for absolutism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for absolutism
Noun
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By settling with Trump, two of the firms that Trump targeted — Paul Weiss and Skadden Arps — have disgraced the legal community and turned their backs on their public duty to fight tyranny.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2025
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The Trump deportations Gladys and Nelson Gonzalez case spotlights wrong federal priorities in deportation cases Deportation as theater is the wrong tactic History has shown us that when governments operate without checks and balances, tyranny follows.—
Nisha Whitehead,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The oligarchs in Hungary and Russia support the dictatorship with their monetary gains in return for being allowed to remain billionaires.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2025
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The biographical drama is inspired by the lives of Brazilian activist Eunice Paiva and her politician husband Rubens, who was murdered for his dissidence toward the military dictatorship of 1970s Brazil.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Leading scholars, including historians of fascism, keep making alarming comparisons between WW2 and the present.—
Chris Doyle,
Hartford Courant,
2 Apr. 2025
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Stanley is an expert on fascism and the author of several books on the topic, including Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future.—
Destinee Adams,
NPR,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Russian and Chinese leaders have a common vision of global politics, anchored by their mutual commitment to autocracy and shared animosity toward the United States.—
MICHAEL McFAUL,
Foreign Affairs,
4 Apr. 2025
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The authors point to Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore as an early adopter of informational autocracy.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The necessity of power sharing also meant that Congress could provide a check against despotism even if the same party held the Presidency and a majority in both houses.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2025
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Every day brings another lurch into despotism, bringing more fear, gaslighting and chaos.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The task of our generation is to defeat the totalitarianisms of the 21st century.—
Claude Malhuret,
The Atlantic,
8 Mar. 2025
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Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty notably helped spread American culture and news during the Cold War, undermining totalitarianism.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Absolutism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/absolutism. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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