authoritarianism

CEFRC1

/ɔˌθɔːɹɪˈtɛːɹiən.ɪzm̩/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

01
noun
A system of government that demands obedience and limits personal freedom.
02
noun
Extra detail
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.

Examples

Inviolable gender roles are a form of authoritarianism.
There appears to be growing contest between authoritarianism and liberalism right now.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Deep Dive

In context

Gender violence goes hand-in-hand with authoritarianism.
Near-synonyms: dictatorialism; autocratism; totalitarianism (see usage note there)
This is the struggle of our time. The forces of freedom, openness and global community against the forces of authoritarianism, isolationism and nationalism.

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Question 1 · Quick check

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The word in print, with each source given in full.

This is the struggle of our time. The forces of freedom, openness and global community against the forces of authoritarianism, isolationism and nationalism.
2017 May 25, Mark Zuckerberg, “Mark Zuckerberg’s Commencement address at Harvard”, in The Harvard Gazette, archived from the original on 10 Feb 2025
Working from a psycho-dynamic perspective, Fromm explained authoritarianism as a response to the breakdown of traditional social structures brought about by industrialization and modernization.
2021, Stanley Feldman, Vittorio Mérola, and Justin Dollman, “THE PSYCHOLOGY OF AUTHORITARIANISM AND SUPPORT FOR ILLIBERAL POLICIES AND PARTIES”, in Vittorio Merola, archived from...
Instead of three co-equal branches acting as a check on each other, power has become increasingly concentrated over the years in the White House – a trend that is now being supercharged under Mr. Trump in ways that, to critics, raise the specter of authoritarianism.
2025 February 25, Linda Feldmann, “How Trump skirts checks and balances unlike any modern-day US president”, in The Christian Science Monitor, archived from the original on 27 Feb 2025
If Trump defies the Court here, then America will have taken an important step toward authoritarianism and anti-constitutional government.
2025 April 10, Adam Serwer, “The Confrontation Between Trump and the Supreme Court Has Arrived”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 11 Apr 2025

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From authoritarian + -ism.