authoritarian

C2+ Topic:Law & Government

Also spelled authoritary

US /əˌθɔrɪˈtɛriən/ UK /ɔːˌθɒrɪˈtɛəriən/ See IPA manual

adj noun

Meanings

1

adj
favouring strict obedience to authority over personal freedom

The authoritarian regime suppressed all forms of dissent.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · favouring strict obedience... dictatorial despotic autocratic tyrannical domineering oppressive totalitarian imperious

Opposites

democratic liberal permissive libertarian lenient egalitarian

Word family

Derived forms authoritarianism

Related forms authority authoritative author

Etymology

From authority + -arian. Authority derives via Old French autorite from Latin auctoritas ('authority, influence'), from auctor ('originator, author'), from augere ('to increase').

auctoritas Latin auctor Latin augere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Law & Government Word Formation & Derivatives

# authoritarian

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** əˌθɔrɪˈtɛriən
**IPA (UK):** ɔːˌθɒrɪˈtɛəriən

## Meanings
1. favouring strict obedience to authority over personal freedom

## Examples
- The authoritarian regime suppressed all forms of dissent.

## Synonyms
- dictatorial
- despotic
- autocratic
- tyrannical
- domineering
- oppressive
- totalitarian
- imperious

## Antonyms
- democratic
- liberal
- permissive
- libertarian
- lenient
- egalitarian

## Derived Forms
- authoritarianism

## Related Forms
- authority
- authoritative
- author

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: auctoritas
- Root: auctor
- Root: augere

## Etymology
From authority + -arian. Authority derives via Old French autorite from Latin auctoritas ('authority, influence'), from auctor ('originator, author'), from augere ('to increase').

## AI Etymology
Authoritarian is from authority + -arian. Authority derives via Old French autorite from Latin auctoritas ('authority, influence'), from auctor ('originator, author'), from augere ('to increase'). In present-day use, it means favouring strict obedience to authority over personal freedom. Derived formations include authoritarianism. Related vocabulary includes authority, authoritative, and author.

## Topics
- Law & Government
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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authoritarian

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