as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
a critical period that saw a number of third-world countries abandon authoritarianism for democracy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for authoritarianism
Noun
-
American Values, Global Impact The United States has long been characterized by its willingness to provide refuge to those escaping tyranny.—
Andy J. Semotiuk,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025 -
Throughout history, across continents and cultures, people have drawn upon the Exodus narrative as a powerful metaphor and rallying cry against tyranny and injustice.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
The authors point to Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore as an early adopter of informational autocracy.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Forgotten Anne, for example, makes arguments against authoritarianism and totalitarianism.—
G Kirilloff,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
-
The task of our generation is to defeat the totalitarianisms of the 21st century.—
Claude Malhuret,
The Atlantic,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
And there are worse messages to be putting out into the world via family films right now than celebrating the virtues of kindness and fairness over cruel despotism.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Mar. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Authoritarianism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/authoritarianism. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share