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
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
Despite a propaganda campaign encouraging all Americans to come together and do their part to defeat the Axis and totalitarianism, the U.S. military remained rigidly segregated with people of color subjugated into subordinate roles and Black soldiers discriminated against abroad and at home.
—Tracie Canada / Made By History, TIME, 1 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for totalitarianism
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
Despite a propaganda campaign encouraging all Americans to come together and do their part to defeat the Axis and totalitarianism, the U.S. military remained rigidly segregated with people of color subjugated into subordinate roles and Black soldiers discriminated against abroad and at home.
—Tracie Canada / Made By History, TIME, 1 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for totalitarianism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totalitarianism
Noun
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Judicial review is an indispensable part of the checks and balances embedded in the Constitution as a protection against tyranny.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
20 Mar. 2025
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But that doesn’t justify your silence in the face of Trump’s tyranny, either.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Considering how many feel the show speaks to the rise in fascism currently taking place throughout the world, many believe the show has become adept at channeling real-world conflicts into a sci-fi allegory, but Gilroy doesn’t view his work as capturing the moment.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
16 Mar. 2025
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Our parents defeated fascism and communism at the cost of great sacrifice.—
Claude Malhuret,
The Atlantic,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Russia is our enemy and will be for at least as long as Putin's dictatorship endures (and the Russian people continue to succumb to nostalgia for great power status and empire).—
Bradley Gitz,
arkansasonline.com,
17 Mar. 2025
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Founded in 1998, the station is owned by journalist Marcus Garcia, another renowned Haitian journalist and columnist who led the struggle for press freedoms against the Duvalier dictatorship in the 1980s.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
16 Mar. 2025
Articles Related to totalitarianism
Cite this Entry
“Totalitarianism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totalitarianism. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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