as in oppressive
controlling the people of a country in a very strict way with complete power that cannot be opposed
A totalitarian state that did not even allow outsiders to visit.
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as in authoritarian
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of totalitarian
Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 10 Jan. 2026
In addition, the federal government can cite an individual's current or past affiliation with a totalitarian political party or terrorist organization.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
Sarah Todd, Quartz, 27 Dec. 2019
Some of his most popular works were surrealistic fantasies set in grisly worlds run by totalitarians and conformists.
—Fox News, 28 June 2018
See All Example Sentences for totalitarian
Adjective
Cooper Hoffman stars as one of 50 boys who agree to participate in a deadly walkathon in a grim, run-down totalitarian state.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 10 Jan. 2026
In addition, the federal government can cite an individual's current or past affiliation with a totalitarian political party or terrorist organization.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
Noun
And there’s another reason why totalitarians capable of horrific human rights violations are a real hosting nightmare.
—Sarah Todd, Quartz, 27 Dec. 2019
Some of his most popular works were surrealistic fantasies set in grisly worlds run by totalitarians and conformists.
—Fox News, 28 June 2018
See All Example Sentences for totalitarian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totalitarian
Adjective
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Drawing from the histories of women detained for their political beliefs, the work explores how care, resistance and survival persist even under the most oppressive conditions.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
1 Feb. 2026
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Director Tony Williams masterfully curates a mood of oppressive dread from the opening minutes through the bloody climax and explosive final frames, making this one of the very best Australian horror films of all time.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Maduro — a left-wing authoritarian who ruled Venezuela for more than a decade while ignoring election results — was not just another foreign dictator.—
Dustin Olson,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
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But here, such altruistic considerations do not justify capitulating to a lawless authoritarian in the White House.—
Max Potter,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Biden put this sentiment into action by working with Netanyahu despite serious moral and political failures in Gaza, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on NATO expansion, and with Gulf potentates on the region’s security architecture.—
James Jeffrey,
Foreign Affairs,
13 Nov. 2025
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Why don’t all the rich potentates, sheiks, oligarchs and MAGA dictators meet and fix it?—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
25 June 2025
Noun
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These autocrats have watched and learned as Erdoğan has scapegoated various rival groups in his country, branding them shadowy forces unleashed by the American philanthropist George Soros.—
Kaya Genç,
The Dial,
3 Feb. 2026
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The book examines the worst acts of autocrats and tyrannical leaders dating back centuries.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Its focus soon shifted to ousting dictator Slobodan Milosevic, using mass demonstrations and a general strike across the provinces to make its point.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
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Thousands of Libyans gathered Friday to mourn Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late dictator, at his funeral in northwestern Libya.—
Yousef Murad,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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When a tyrant falls, we may be tempted to imagine a final moment of tragic self-awareness—a personal reckoning, like Oedipus blinding himself, or Macbeth raging on the heath.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
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Ruling like a petty tyrant from the company’s headquarters in lower Manhattan, Coplan isn’t an easy boss to work with, according to new reporting by the Wall Street Journal.—
Joe Wilkins Published Feb 4,
Futurism,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Totalitarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totalitarian. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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