authoritarian
Favoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority, especially that of the government, at the expense of personal freedom.
Focuses on the suppression of individual liberty and the concentration of power in a single leader or small elite, without necessarily controlling private life to the extent of totalitarianism.
Word relationships
- totalitarian: Totalitarian is more extreme, where the state controls every aspect of public and private life, whereas authoritarian focuses on strict political control and obedience without necessarily controlling private life.
- democratic: Democratic involves power shared by the people and respect for individual freedoms, the opposite of authoritarian.
Commonly confused with
- authoritative: Authoritative is positive, meaning reliable, commanding respect, or highly knowledgeable (e.g., 'an authoritative biography'), whereas authoritarian is negative, meaning dictatorial and anti-freedom.
Word family
- authoritarianism (noun): The enforcement of strict obedience to authority.
Collocations
- authoritarian regime
- authoritarian rule
- authoritarian personality
Example sentences
- "An authoritarian government demands submission, not participation." Political Science
- "The country transitioned from an authoritarian regime to a democracy." Modern History
Memory hook
An AUTHORITARIAN wants to be the sole AUTHOR of all the rules, leaving no freedom for others. Demanding absolute obedience, crushing freedom.
When not to use
Do not use to describe a teacher who simply expects students to raise their hands, unless they are acting like a dictator.
Fun facts
- The term 'authoritarian' was popularized in the mid-20th century by sociologists studying the 'authoritarian personality'—a psychological profile characterized by extreme obedience to authority and prejudice against outgroups.
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