authoritarian

[ uh-thawr-i-tair-ee-uhn, uh-thor- ]

adjective

1. favoring complete obedience or subjection to authority as opposed to individual freedom:

   authoritarian principles; authoritarian attitudes.

2. of or relating to a governmental or political system, principle, or practice in which individual freedom is held as completely subordinate to the power or authority of the state, centered either in one person or a small group that is not constitutionally accountable to the people.
3. exercising complete or almost complete control over the will of another or of others:

   an authoritarian parent.

noun

1. a person who favors or acts according to authoritarian principles.

authoritarian

/ ɔːˌθɒrɪˈtɛərɪən /

adjective

1. favouring, denoting, or characterized by strict obedience to authority
2. favouring, denoting, or relating to government by a small elite with wide powers
3. despotic; dictatorial; domineering

noun

1. a person who favours or practises authoritarian policies

Derived Forms

• auˌthoriˈtarianism, noun

Other Words From

• au·thori·tari·an·ism noun
• anti·au·thori·tari·an adjective
• anti·au·thori·tari·an·ism noun
• nonau·thori·tari·an adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of authoritarian¹

First recorded in 1875–80; authorit(y) + -arian

Example Sentences

It’s got this increasingly authoritarian tendency, which is consolidating data and increasing surveillance, but it still has a strong civil society and a court system that’s pushing back.

From MIT Technology Review

That accusation carries all the more weight under Hong Kong’s newly authoritarian reality, where provoking by unlawful means “hatred” toward the government can amount to a crime of collusion with external elements, punishable by lengthy prison terms.

From Quartz

To do that, they must be clear about what their values are and why they differ from those of authoritarian regimes.

From MIT Technology Review

Recently, though, the country has veered down a more authoritarian path.

From MIT Technology Review

An LGBTQ activist in Belarus on Monday said she remains optimistic that nationwide protests will ultimately oust her country’s authoritarian president.

From Washington Blade

Sony Pictures Entertainment has put out some of the most countercultural, anti-authoritarian movies of the past century.

From The Daily Beast

And yes, that authoritarian, patriarchal guru-power structure, invariably, always leads to abuses.

From The Daily Beast

Perhaps that name should not be felt so ruefully today, despite the reversion to authoritarian control in Egypt.

From The Daily Beast

Rivers continued on her political, authoritarian monologue by describing what kind of tyrant she would be.

From The Daily Beast

The crisis in neighbouring Ukraine has rattled Alexander Lukashenko's authoritarian regime.

From The Daily Beast

Borders are no defense for the penetration of information even in highly controlled or authoritarian societies.

From Project Gutenberg

We are aware of the strength that lies in narrowness and secretly covet the simplification and order of an authoritarian church.

From Project Gutenberg

The earlier Liberalism had to deal with authoritarian government in church and state.

From Project Gutenberg

Soldiers occasionally use the authoritarian style to demand instant obedience.

From Project Gutenberg

The authoritarian model is useful for situations requiring immediate compliance by a subordinate.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• autocrat
• disciplinarian