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
And this particular slide into totalitarianism is a rather recent development (which gives one hope that it could be reversed).
—
Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2025
With the help of grants from Jewish groups, social psychologists, sociologists, and other scholars investigated how antisemitism was connected to totalitarianism, religion and other forms of racial and ethnic stereotyping.
—Asaf Elia-Shalev, Sun Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2025
This episode shows that—although China has never had a U.S.-style constitution—Beijing moved away from Maoist totalitarianism under Deng, thereby instilling a sense of security and confidence among Chinese entrepreneurs.
—Yasheng Huang, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2023
The book, which was written in 1948, focuses on the consequences of totalitarianism, the government’s mass surveillance of the public and how truth and fact can be manipulated.
—Rachel Flynn, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for totalitarianism
Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2025
With the help of grants from Jewish groups, social psychologists, sociologists, and other scholars investigated how antisemitism was connected to totalitarianism, religion and other forms of racial and ethnic stereotyping.
—Asaf Elia-Shalev, Sun Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2025
This episode shows that—although China has never had a U.S.-style constitution—Beijing moved away from Maoist totalitarianism under Deng, thereby instilling a sense of security and confidence among Chinese entrepreneurs.
—Yasheng Huang, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2023
The book, which was written in 1948, focuses on the consequences of totalitarianism, the government’s mass surveillance of the public and how truth and fact can be manipulated.
—Rachel Flynn, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for totalitarianism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totalitarianism
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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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 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
Cite this Entry
“Totalitarianism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totalitarianism. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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