as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
in times of crisis, when a nation's people are frightened, there are often calls for totalitarianism
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Recent Examples of totalitarianism
After Al Qaeda and then Saddam Hussein abruptly emerged as incarnations of a new totalitarianism, Michael Ignatieff and Niall Ferguson, among many others, impatiently urged the United States to assume its imperial obligations and impose democracy, human rights, and free trade through war.
—
Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
Also, in part as a defense against totalitarianism, many countries signed on to international agreements upholding academic freedom, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
—David P. Baker, The Conversation, 18 Nov. 2025
The Emergency is not a story of totalitarianism.
—Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025
King wrote the 1982 action-adventure long before social media took over the world and, in an ironic twist, set his send-up of reality culture and totalitarianism in 2025.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for totalitarianism
Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
Also, in part as a defense against totalitarianism, many countries signed on to international agreements upholding academic freedom, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
—David P. Baker, The Conversation, 18 Nov. 2025
The Emergency is not a story of totalitarianism.
—Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025
King wrote the 1982 action-adventure long before social media took over the world and, in an ironic twist, set his send-up of reality culture and totalitarianism in 2025.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for totalitarianism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totalitarianism
Noun
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Without constant reinforcement, these muscles will atrophy, and when real tyranny arrives, the flabby citizen will be powerless to resist.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
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Focus Features has set a Sept 11 release for the Paul Greengrass directed, Andrew Garfield starring The Uprising, which follows the untold true story of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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It was penned to expose the mechanics of corruption at a point in time when Orwell believed the issue of fascism was of the utmost urgency.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2026
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Our militaries fought and won in two World Wars for liberty and against fascism.—
Stephen Doughty,
Boston Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Anti-dictatorship, but for kids Serkis scrubs the story of its violence, at least in any graphic manner.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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In a nation that has long prided itself on a free and vibrant news media, rights watchdogs and lawmakers from across the political spectrum denounced the move as an attack on the press without precedent since the end of Argentina’s military dictatorship in 1983.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Garber’s book offers reason to think that the decline of reading and the rise of authoritarianism are twinned forms of disempowerment.—
Charlie Tyson,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes the reader back in time to examine the state of nature debate and the origins of authoritarianism versus democratic forms of government.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Totalitarianism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totalitarianism. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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