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authoritarianism

noun

Simple meaning

A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

uhthawruhtehreeuhnihzuhm

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

əθɔɹəˈtɛɹiənɪzəm

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)

  2. A form of government in which the governing body has absolute, or almost absolute, control. Typically this control is maintained by force, and little heed is paid to public opinion or the judicial system.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient (estimated)
Frequency
Rare
Formality
Technical

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

This meaning: A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)

Used this way, authoritarianism is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a legal use: the wording is institutional and carries a defined meaning in law rather than a loose everyday one.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Specialist/technical
Intensity
Moderate
How common
Specialized
Connotation
Clinical and technical
Usage feel
Technical and specialized

Where it naturally appears

  • Law/legal
  • Government/politics
  • Academic writing

Usage note

In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

new authoritarianismpolitical authoritarianismbureaucratic authoritarianismwing authoritarianismmilitary authoritarianismclass authoritarianism

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • tyranny

    A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition….

  • absolutism

    Positiveness; the state of being absolute.

  • despotism

    Government by a despot or despots: rule by a singular authority, either a single person or a tight-knit group, which….

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution

totalitarianismtyrannydictatorshipdespotismabsolutism

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.