authoritarian
adjective
au·thor·i·tar·i·an
ȯ-ˌthȯr-ə-ˈter-ē-ən 
ə-,
-ˌthär-
1
: of, relating to, or favoring blind submission to authority
had authoritarian parents
2
: of, relating to, or favoring a concentration of power in a leader or an elite not constitutionally responsible to the people
an authoritarian regime
authoritarian
noun
Synonyms
Examples of authoritarian in a Sentence
grew up with an authoritarian older sister who thought she was queen of the world
an authoritarian coach who runs football practice like it's boot camp
Recent Examples on the Web
Mount’s faith that courts, constitutions, and common sense will ultimately defeat the authoritarian turn may not convince everyone.
—
Ferdinand Mount, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Barring such a deal, the legislation would, in fact, ban the social media app in the U.S.
Lawmakers are increasingly concerned about the company's ties in China, with fears that ByteDance or TikTok could share data about U.S. users with China's authoritarian government.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2024
What led him to become an authoritarian ruler is more shakily handled.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Apr. 2024
Long story short: A deaf-mute kid living in an authoritarian dystopia witnesses his mother being gunned down.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2024
An increasingly authoritarian former Soviet republic, Tajikistan ranks among the world’s poorest countries, which fuels discontent and drives millions of migrant laborers to seek better lives abroad.
—Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
In many of the Central and Eastern European countries that fell under the Soviet Union’s sphere of influence after World War II, those who opposed the authoritarian regimes were swiftly punished, though the means and severity of punishment varied from place to place.
—Alice Popovici, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
That means trying to avoid authoritarian parenting in education, which can have unintended consequences.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 12 Apr. 2024
The sheer scale of Lan’s misconduct has rattled the public in a country that has long projected an image of authoritarian stability, analysts say — and raised alarm among foreign investors, a key driver of Vietnam’s booming economy.
—Heather Chen, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Ferdinand Mount, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Barring such a deal, the legislation would, in fact, ban the social media app in the U.S.
Lawmakers are increasingly concerned about the company's ties in China, with fears that ByteDance or TikTok could share data about U.S. users with China's authoritarian government.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2024
What led him to become an authoritarian ruler is more shakily handled.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Apr. 2024
Long story short: A deaf-mute kid living in an authoritarian dystopia witnesses his mother being gunned down.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2024
An increasingly authoritarian former Soviet republic, Tajikistan ranks among the world’s poorest countries, which fuels discontent and drives millions of migrant laborers to seek better lives abroad.
—Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
In many of the Central and Eastern European countries that fell under the Soviet Union’s sphere of influence after World War II, those who opposed the authoritarian regimes were swiftly punished, though the means and severity of punishment varied from place to place.
—Alice Popovici, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
That means trying to avoid authoritarian parenting in education, which can have unintended consequences.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 12 Apr. 2024
The sheer scale of Lan’s misconduct has rattled the public in a country that has long projected an image of authoritarian stability, analysts say — and raised alarm among foreign investors, a key driver of Vietnam’s booming economy.
—Heather Chen, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'authoritarian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near authoritarian
Cite this Entry
“Authoritarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/authoritarian. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
authoritarian
adjective
au·thor·i·tar·i·an
ȯ-ˌthär-ə-ˈter-ē-ən
ə-,
-ˌthȯr-
1
: expecting strict obedience to one's authority
had authoritarian parents
2
: based on the principle that the leaders and not the people have the final authority
an authoritarian state
authoritarian
noun
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