AUTHORITARIAN • E-FREE TRANSLATION.COM • Definition of Authoritarian

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/əθˌɔrətˈɛriən/ Listen

adjective

authoritarian adj.

Characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule; having absolute sovereignty; of governments or rulers; as, an authoritarian regime

Synonyms: autocratic, dictatorial, despotic, tyrannical

Expecting unquestioning obedience: "he was imperious and dictatorial"; "the timid child of authoritarian parents"; "insufferably overbearing behavior toward the waiter".

Synonyms: dictatorial, overbearing

noun

authoritarian n.

Behaves like a tyrant.

Synonyms: dictator

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Etymology of 'Authoritarian'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Authoritarian" Quotes from Famous Books

... interested in the uses of encryption via electronic ciphers for enhancing personal privacy and guarding against tyranny by centralized, authoritarian power structures, especially government. There is an active cypherpunks mailing list at cypherpunks-request@toad.com coordinating work on public-key encryption freeware, privacy, and digital ...

— The Jargon File, Version 4.0.0

... remarkable movement, which has never yet been properly studied, that modern Socialism was born—Fourierism with L'Ange, at Lyons, and authoritarian Communism with Buonarroti, Babeuf, and their comrades. And it was immediately after the Great Revolution that the three great theoretical founders of modern Socialism—Fourier, Saint Simon, and Robert Owen, as well as Godwin (the No-State Socialism)—came forward; while the ...

— The Conquest of Bread • Peter Kropotkin

... transitional government note: on 28 May 1991 the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) toppled the authoritarian government of MENGISTU Haile-Mariam and took control in Addis Ababa; a new constitution was promulgated in December 1994 and national and regional elections are scheduled for May 1995; the administrative regions will elect regional assemblies by popular vote; ...

— The 1995 CIA World Factbook • United States Central Intelligence Agency

... currency markets and mounting debts of its major customers in the former USSR for gas deliveries contributed to a sharp fall in industrial production and caused the budget to shift from a surplus to a slight deficit. With an authoritarian ex-communist regime in power and a tribally based social structure, Turkmenistan has taken a cautious approach to economic reform, hoping to use gas and cotton sales to sustain its inefficient economy. Privatization goals remain limited. Turkmenistan is working hard to open ...

— The 2000 CIA World Factbook • United States. Central Intelligence Agency.

... Spain in 1816, Argentina experienced periods of internal political conflict between conservatives and liberals and between civilian and military factions. After World War II, a long period of Peronist authoritarian rule and interference in subsequent governments was followed by a military junta that took power in 1976. Democracy returned in 1983, and numerous elections since then have underscored Argentina's progress ...

— The 2002 CIA World Factbook • US Government