Synonyms for authoritarianism
Most common
All synonyms
Noun
1. Totalitarianism
totalitarianism, dictatorship, despotism, tyranny, absolutism, statism, shogunate, monocracy rare
Other
Definitions
- n. 1
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.
Near-synonyms: dictatorialism; autocratism; totalitarianism (see usage note there)
Forms
- Plural
- authoritarianisms → totalitarianisms, dictatorships, despotisms, tyrannies…
Example sentences
- dictatorship Algeria is neither a democracy nor a dictatorship.
- tyranny People in the country were living under a tyranny.
- totalitarianism Totalitarianism is when people are mean to me.
- despotism Property is the right to use & abuse; it engenders despotism.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| authoritarianism | rising | |
| dictatorship | falling | |
| tyranny | steady | |
| totalitarianism | steady | |
| despotism | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 7 letters
- tyranny3, statism3
- 9 letters
- despotism4, shogunate, monocracy
- 10 letters
- absolutism5, emperorism
- 11 letters
- autocratism
- 12 letters
- dictatorship4
- 14 letters
- dictatorialism
- 15 letters
- totalitarianism8
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (tyranny3 = 3 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- autoritarisme
- Italiano
- autoritarismo
- Español
- autoritarismo
- Català
- autoritarisme