What does authoritarian mean?

Definitions for authoritarian
əˌθɔr ɪˈtɛər i ən, əˌθɒr-au·thor·i·tar·i·an

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word authoritarian.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. authoritarian, dictatoradjective

    a person who behaves in a tyrannical manner

    "my boss is a dictator who makes everyone work overtime"

  2. authoritarian, autocratic, dictatorial, despotic, tyrannic, tyrannicaladjective

    characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule; having absolute sovereignty

    "an authoritarian regime"; "autocratic government"; "despotic rulers"; "a dictatorial rule that lasted for the duration of the war"; "a tyrannical government"

  3. authoritarian, dictatorial, overbearingadjective

    expecting unquestioning obedience

    "the timid child of authoritarian parents"; "insufferably overbearing behavior toward the waiter"

Wiktionary

  1. authoritariannoun

    One who commands absolute obedience to his or her authority.

    The dictator was an authoritarian.

  2. authoritariannoun

    One who follows and is excessively obedient to authority.

  3. authoritariannoun

    An organization or state which enforces strong or oppressive measures against its population.

  4. authoritarianadjective

    Of, or relating to, absolute obedience to an authority.

  5. authoritarianadjective

    Characterised by a tyrannical obedience to an authority; dictatorial.

    The authoritarian government was demanding stricter laws for low-wage peasants.

  6. authoritarianadjective

    Tending to impose one's demands upon others as if one was an authority.

  7. Etymology: Circa 1880

ChatGPT

  1. authoritarian

    Authoritarian refers to a system of government or leadership style characterized by a concentration of power in a leader or small elite group, who exert control over the population and demand unquestioning obedience. In an authoritarian system, individual freedoms are often curtailed and open dissent or political opposition is usually suppressed or not allowed.

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of authoritarian in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of authoritarian in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of authoritarian in a Sentence

  1. Rasmus Kleis Nielsen:

    There is no question that the fact that the President of Allie Funk is using this term to attack independent media gives an element of license to other politicians elsewhere, including some authoritarian leaders to dress up their own attacks on independent media and point to the example of the Allie Funk.

  2. Sam Cranny-Evans:

    If we look, historically, at authoritarian regimes that perform poorly in a military setting, the don't tend to change their behavior in a positive direction afterwards. So the question might be that if the Ukrainians say,' OK, we will be neutral, just get out,' the Russians might say' No, you have to give us Donetsk and Luhansk. That might be bearable for Ukraine, perhaps, in order to stop the war, but what if, for instance, 10 years down the line, Ukraine has advanced on a significant military modernization ? Or the next Russian president wants to prove his worth, and they conduct another war ? There are a lot of scenarios to think through in terms of what ending this war could lead to.

  3. Lionel Trilling:

    We are at heart so profoundly anarchistic that the only form of state we can imagine living in is Utopian; and so cynical that the only Utopia we can believe in is authoritarian.

  4. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein:

    It is potentially a gift to authoritarian regimes, as well as to criminal hackers.

  5. Marise Payne:

    Our region is in a period of rising strategic uncertainty, the rules and norms that have provided a foundation for our stability, and hence our prosperity are under pressure, in particular from authoritarian regimes.

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Translations for authoritarian

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"authoritarian." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 30 Jan. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/authoritarian>.

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