How to Use authoritarian in a Sentence

authoritarian

adjective
Definition of authoritariannext
Synonyms for authoritariannext
  • And authoritarian governments can be just as messy as any democracy.
    — New York Times, 26 July 2022
  • You have been forced into the role of the authoritarian parent, while your husband has adopted the role of loosey-goosey fun parent, which is how your children still regard him.
    — Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 21 July 2022
  • People in countries with authoritarian governments might be scared to give an honest response.
    — Josh Fischman, Scientific American, 2 Aug. 2022
  • The freedom to hold elections without worrying about an authoritarian putsch.
    — John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2022
  • The effects of Orbán’s takeover are in many ways subtle, and Hungary does not outwardly appear to be an authoritarian state.
    — Patrick Smith, NBC News, 4 Aug. 2022
  • The only way to stand up to an authoritarian bully of Putin’s type is by remaining united in collective opposition.
    — Steven Tian, Fortune, 25 July 2022
  • First and foremost, is the theme of the fear of an authoritarian world.
    — Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Aug. 2024
  • Trump has acted in ways that were despotic and authoritarian at times, but this takes the cake.
    — Ashley Pratte Oates, CNN, 5 Dec. 2022
  • And from the point of view of Putin's authoritarian regime, this is certainly a problem.
    — TIME, 8 Jan. 2024
  • Fox said the post was a commentary on the authoritarian nature of the movement.
    — Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 30 Oct. 2022
  • At the same time, Vucic grew more open in his courtship of the authoritarian leaders of Russia, Hungary and China.
    — Robert F. Worth, New York Times, 3 May 2023
  • In an authoritarian state, neighborhood trust is a thing of the past.
    — WIRED, 1 Nov. 2022
  • The rhetoric has stoked alarm among critics that a second Trump term could usher in a wave of authoritarian revenge.
    — Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 11 Jan. 2024
  • And as the 1980s wore on, the group caused its own downfall, becoming more authoritarian.
    — Hannah E. Meyers, National Review, 10 Sep. 2023
  • If DeSantis makes it to the White House, life will get a lot more expensive and authoritarian too.
    — Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, 30 May 2023
  • In Belarus, red and white are the colors of the protest movement against the country’s authoritarian leader, Alexander Lukashenko.
    — Valerie Hopkins, BostonGlobe.com, 22 July 2023
  • Seen in that light, slapping a charge of espionage on a journalist is one of the more Orwellian tools in the authoritarian playbook.
    — Bill Kovarik, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2023
  • Under Xi, China has grown more authoritarian at home and more assertive on the world stage.
    — John Hudson, Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2022
  • The work of the forensics teams also relies on the fact that authoritarian regimes frequently kept detailed records of their crimes.
    — Benjamin P. Russell, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2023
  • What the speech raised is the potent question: Can the Democrats successfully frame the 2024 election around the quest to preserve our democracy from the authoritarian whims of Trump and his rightwing clones?
    — Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 9 Oct. 2023
  • In the end, the leaderless movement, clustered in pockets across the country, was no match for the keepers of Iran’s authoritarian system.
    — Miriam Berger, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
  • The Palace, about a year inside an authoritarian regime, and Trust, an adaptation of Hernan Diaz's novel of the same name.
    — Emily Burack, Town & Country, 28 Sep. 2022
  • The good thing about being an authoritarian leader is that there are few people to dissent.
    — Christian Shepherd, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2023
  • The protesters have filled the streets of Iran shouting her name and calling out the Iranian regime's authoritarian rules.
    — ABC News, 1 Feb. 2023
  • This time around, Trump, who is known for his penchant for authoritarian leaders, has continued to praise Xi along the campaign trail.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024
  • The three have spent years behind bars in Iran's Evin prison, infamous for its human rights abuses and as a symbol of the regime's authoritarian power.
    — Shannon K. Crawford, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2023
  • This song speeds past the worst aspect of authoritarian media that chews up and spits out so much popular culture.
    — Armond White, National Review, 28 July 2023
  • Critics accuse him of leading the country down down a path of authoritarian rule.
    — Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023
  • Exuberant Syrians observed the first Friday prayers since the ouster of Assad, gathering in the capital's historic main mosque, its largest square and around the country to celebrate the end of half a century of authoritarian rule.
    — Albert Aji and Matthew Lee The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 14 Dec. 2024
  • Dissidents are born out of this choice: either assert their authentic selves or accept the authoritarian’s mafioso bargain, safety and protection in exchange for keeping one’s head down.
    — Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'authoritarian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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