to·tal·i·tar·i·an
(ˌ)tō-ˌta-lə-ˈter-ē-ən 
1
a
: of or relating to centralized control by an autocratic leader or hierarchy : authoritarian, dictatorial
especially
: despotic
b
: of or relating to a political regime based on subordination of the individual to the state and strict control of all aspects of the life and productive capacity of the nation especially by coercive measures (such as censorship and terrorism)
2
a
: advocating or characteristic of totalitarianism
b
: completely regulated by the state especially as an aid to national mobilization in an emergency
c
: exercising autocratic powers
: an advocate or practitioner of totalitarianism
Examples of totalitarian in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
David Faris, Newsweek, 28 Dec. 2024
For much of the Chinese public, the current state violence is a continuation of the more totalitarian repression suffered under Mao Zedong from the early 1950s through the decadelong Cultural Revolution, which ended with Mao’s death in 1976.
—Peidong Sun, Foreign Affairs, 25 Dec. 2024
Letters To The Editor, Orange County Register, 17 Oct. 2020
Under the unconditional patronage of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kadyrov rules his republic as a totalitarian, and has done so since taking power in May 2004, after his father, then President Akhmad Kadyrov, was assassinated.
—Layla Taimienova, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2017
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Adjective
For those who choose to join a totalitarian party run by billionaires, who would rather make lives harder for seniors, vets, medically vulnerable & working class than pay their share of taxes.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 28 Dec. 2024
For much of the Chinese public, the current state violence is a continuation of the more totalitarian repression suffered under Mao Zedong from the early 1950s through the decadelong Cultural Revolution, which ended with Mao’s death in 1976.
—Peidong Sun, Foreign Affairs, 25 Dec. 2024
Noun
Ridicule only appeals to cool kids on coasts and the college towns and totalitarians.
—Letters To The Editor, Orange County Register, 17 Oct. 2020
Under the unconditional patronage of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kadyrov rules his republic as a totalitarian, and has done so since taking power in May 2004, after his father, then President Akhmad Kadyrov, was assassinated.
—Layla Taimienova, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2017
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Cite this Entry
“Totalitarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/totalitarian. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
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