Definition of Authoritarian

1. Adjective. Characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule; having absolute sovereignty. "A tyrannical government"


2. Noun. A person who behaves in a tyrannical manner. "My boss is a dictator who makes everyone work overtime"
Exact synonyms: Dictator
Specialized synonyms: Big Brother, Disciplinarian, Martinet, Moralist
Generic synonyms: Oppressor
Derivative terms: Dictate

3. Adjective. Expecting unquestioning obedience. "Insufferably overbearing behavior toward the waiter"
Exact synonyms: Dictatorial, Overbearing
Similar to: Domineering
Derivative terms: Overbearingness

Definition of Authoritarian

1. Adjective. Of, or relating to, absolute obedience to an authority. ¹

2. Adjective. Characterised by a tyrannical obedience to an authority; dictatorial. ¹

3. Adjective. Tending to impose one's demands upon others as if one was an authority. ¹

4. Noun. One who commands absolute obedience to his or her authority. ¹

5. Noun. One who follows and is excessively obedient to authority. ¹

6. Noun. An organization or state which enforces strong or oppressive measures against its population. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Authoritarian

1. [n -S]

Lexicographical Neighbors of Authoritarian

authoring language
authoring program
authoring programs
authorings
authorisable
authorisation
authorisations
authorise
authorised
authorised term
authorised terms
authoriser
authorises
authorising
authorism
authoritarian (current term)
authoritarian personality
authoritarianism
authoritarians
authoritative
authoritatively
authoritativeness
authoritie
authorities
authority
authority figure
authorityless
authorizable
authorization
authorizations

Literary usage of Authoritarian

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Russia's Wrong Direction: What the United States Can and Should Do : Report by John Edwards, Jack Kemp (2006)
"... Dealing C—' with an authoritarian Russia Democratic Legitimacy The Bush administration has been right to acknowledge, as it has done in the past year, ..."

2. Capital, the State, and Labour: A Global Perspective by Juliet Schor, Jong-Il You (1995)
"Indeed, the persistence of the authoritarian capital-labour relations in Korea until ... Also, the macroeconomic structure was such that the authoritarian ..."

3. Mental Culture in Burmese Crisis Politics: Aung San Suu Kyi and the National by Gustaaf Houtman (1999)
"Albright made a valid point when she commented that 'authoritarian leaders often delude themselves that they are loved, but the smiles they see are usually ..."

4. Justice as Prevention: Vetting Public Employees in Transitional Societies by Alexander Mayer-rieckh, Pablo De Greiff (2007)
"... CHAPTER 3 Swift Gradualism and Variable Outcomes: Vetting in Post-authoritarian Greece Dimitri A. Sotiropoulos ..."

5. States, Markets, and Just Growth: Development in the Twenty-first Century by Atul Kohli, Chung-in Moon, Georg Sørensen (2003)
"The economic and political performance of many authoritarian regimes came to be increasingly questioned over the 1980s, leading to major political changes. ..."

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