as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
a critical period that saw a number of third-world countries abandon authoritarianism for democracy
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Recent Examples of authoritarianism
But with his bent turned toward authoritarianism, the voters are now rejecting his policies.
—
Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 9 Feb. 2026
These comments are said against a backdrop of escalating violence and authoritarianism in this country that’s directly tied to out-of-control behavior by federal agents conducting immigration raids.
—Thomas Kennedy, Sun Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2026
This is about whether democracy wins or authoritarianism wins.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
As philosopher Hannah Arendt observed, authoritarianism does not require the abolition of institutions, only the erosion of their animating principles.
—Alejandro Reyes, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
Inequality in political liberty ticked up during the pandemic as many countries took a turn toward greater authoritarianism.
—Chelsea Follett, Oc Register, 1 Feb. 2026
Think of it as the South American mirror of One Battle After Another, a thriller-cum-satire about the insanity of authoritarianism and the community ties that enable us to resist it.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
But the patterns will be the same, and as authoritarianism spreads, eventually, no one will be safe.
—Kica Matos, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
These are the normal people resisting authoritarianism.
—Suzy Exposito, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 9 Feb. 2026
These comments are said against a backdrop of escalating violence and authoritarianism in this country that’s directly tied to out-of-control behavior by federal agents conducting immigration raids.
—Thomas Kennedy, Sun Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2026
This is about whether democracy wins or authoritarianism wins.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
As philosopher Hannah Arendt observed, authoritarianism does not require the abolition of institutions, only the erosion of their animating principles.
—Alejandro Reyes, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
Inequality in political liberty ticked up during the pandemic as many countries took a turn toward greater authoritarianism.
—Chelsea Follett, Oc Register, 1 Feb. 2026
Think of it as the South American mirror of One Battle After Another, a thriller-cum-satire about the insanity of authoritarianism and the community ties that enable us to resist it.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
But the patterns will be the same, and as authoritarianism spreads, eventually, no one will be safe.
—Kica Matos, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
These are the normal people resisting authoritarianism.
—Suzy Exposito, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for authoritarianism
Noun
-
Williams’s novel is concerned with time’s tyranny.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Bashar al-Assad, who oversaw the torture and murder of hundreds of thousands of his fellow Syrians during a quarter century in power, may have achieved something new in the annals of tyranny.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The royal government was also known as a dictatorship for banning political parties, suppressing revolts and political opposition, controlling the press and having its own secret police force called SAVAK.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Throughout, Hadi calls attention to the brutality that’s endemic in Iraqi daily life under a dictatorship.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
From ancient sources philosophers and poets, democrats and demagogues, found justification for everything from anarchy to fascism, and there are reasons for both justifications.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
-
That is really thuggish fascism.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Joy Neumeyer What do the far right’s fluctuating fortunes in Poland suggest about countries seeking an off-ramp from autocracy?—
Leah Downey,
The New York Review of Books,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Amodei’s essay covers a lot of ground, from existential threats to fighting autocracy to saving jobs.—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
His loathing for totalitarianism was among the very few hatreds Reagan ever held, his biographer Edmund Morris said.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
9 Jan. 2026
-
After Al Qaeda and then Saddam Hussein abruptly emerged as incarnations of a new totalitarianism, Michael Ignatieff and Niall Ferguson, among many others, impatiently urged the United States to assume its imperial obligations and impose democracy, human rights, and free trade through war.—
Victor J. Blue,
Harpers Magazine,
23 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The hope is that the institutional reforms started by the interim administration of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus deliver the necessary checks and balances to avert another lurch toward despotism.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The strength and powers of despotism consist wholly in the fear of resisting it.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
16 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Authoritarianism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/authoritarianism. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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