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
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
The interim government, formed shortly afterward under the leadership of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, was widely hailed as a new chapter for Bangladesh: a chance to repair years of authoritarian rule, enforced disappearances, corruption and human rights abuses.
—
Shamim Chowdhury, NPR, 5 Aug. 2025
For any authoritarian regime, political succession is a moment of peril, and for all its strengths, the CCP is no exception.
—Tyler Jost, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2025
To level set: The North Korean IT worker scheme is a vast conspiracy to evade punishing financial sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the result of authoritarian ruler Kim Jong Un’s human-rights abuses and relentless quest to develop weapons of mass destruction.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2025
But unless your country is already authoritarian — and not necessarily even then — the risks of throwing yourself fully into China’s orbit are still much more extreme than the costs of managing a populist administration in Washington.
—Ross Douthat, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2025
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Shamim Chowdhury, NPR, 5 Aug. 2025
For any authoritarian regime, political succession is a moment of peril, and for all its strengths, the CCP is no exception.
—Tyler Jost, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2025
To level set: The North Korean IT worker scheme is a vast conspiracy to evade punishing financial sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the result of authoritarian ruler Kim Jong Un’s human-rights abuses and relentless quest to develop weapons of mass destruction.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2025
But unless your country is already authoritarian — and not necessarily even then — the risks of throwing yourself fully into China’s orbit are still much more extreme than the costs of managing a populist administration in Washington.
—Ross Douthat, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for authoritarian
Cite this Entry
“Authoritarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/authoritarian. Accessed 17 Aug. 2025.
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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