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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Recent Examples of totalitarian
Liza Esquibias, People.com, 12 Feb. 2025
Others posted Coney Barrett's name with gifs of The Handmaid's Tale, a dystopian television series based on a novel by Margaret Atwood about a totalitarian government that has complete control over women's bodies.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 11 Jan. 2025
Néstor T. Carbonell, National Review, 16 July 2021
And there’s another reason why totalitarians capable of horrific human rights violations are a real hosting nightmare.
—Sarah Todd, Quartz, 27 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for totalitarian
Adjective
Coming to Hulu on April 8, the conclusion proves to be the most intense yet as Elisabeth Moss returns to her starring role as June to lead the revolution against the totalitarian regime of Gilead.
—Liza Esquibias, People.com, 12 Feb. 2025
Others posted Coney Barrett's name with gifs of The Handmaid's Tale, a dystopian television series based on a novel by Margaret Atwood about a totalitarian government that has complete control over women's bodies.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 11 Jan. 2025
Noun
But that would not address the fundamental goal of the protests: to end the totalitarian stranglehold that has subjected the Cubans to an unbearable serfdom.
—Néstor T. Carbonell, National Review, 16 July 2021
And there’s another reason why totalitarians capable of horrific human rights violations are a real hosting nightmare.
—Sarah Todd, Quartz, 27 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for totalitarian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totalitarian
Adjective
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This gripping series takes viewers into insidious modern-day cults through the unique lens of members who endured unspeakable trauma and the shocking investigations into these oppressive groups.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2025
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Dominic Frey is a member of the oppressive class and everything Silas should despise — but now their mutual discretion is all that’s keeping them from punishment for their crimes of passion.—
Olivia Waite,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Fragile post-conflict governments often struggle to maintain popular support, and without a strong commitment to justice and accountability, there is a real risk that authoritarian tendencies will resurface.—
PATRICK VINCK,
Foreign Affairs,
4 Mar. 2025
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The futuristic worlds that she’s created reflect that, from the dark and dismal cityscapes to the authoritarian prisoner ships run entirely by soulless robots.—
Kyle Wilson,
Rolling Stone,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The cover of the first issue of The New Yorker, dated Feb. 21, 1925, carried no portraits of potentates or tycoons, no headlines, no come-ons.—
Christopher B. Daly,
The Conversation,
11 Feb. 2025
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Or were all those billionaire potentates in the Capitol Rotunda — seated in front of Trump’s Cabinet picks — asserting their social, economic and cultural hegemony?—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Nicaragua’s suspension from the agreement would be a hard blow to leftist dictator Daniel Ortega, a close ally of Russia and Iran who by some measures is the most brutal autocrat in the region.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
18 Feb. 2025
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In effect, the cut of USAID funding is low-hanging fruit when advanced by an autocrat seeking easy political points.—
Bill Gray,
The Mercury News,
12 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Apparently, for Trump, Ukraine's continuing resistance to invasion constitutes something of a nuisance that threatens to get in the way of making deals with a brutal dictator.—
Bradley Gitz,
arkansasonline.com,
3 Mar. 2025
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In October of 2023, Hamas militants attacked Israel and in an unforeseen chain of events Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad was overthrown.—
Kevin Kruse,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
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John Lithgow plays an elderly care home tyrant out to drive an arrogant and partially paralyzed judge, played by Geoffrey Rush, insane in the official trailer for The Rule of Jenny Pen, which dropped Monday.—
Etan Vlessing,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Feb. 2025
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The Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth of tyrants, back-to-back.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to totalitarian
Cite this Entry
“Totalitarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totalitarian. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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