as in oppressive
controlling the people of a country in a very strict way with complete power that cannot be opposed
A totalitarian state that did not even allow outsiders to visit.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in authoritarian
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of totalitarian
Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2022
But that would not address the fundamental goal of the protests: to end the totalitarian stranglehold that has subjected the Cubans to an unbearable serfdom.
—Néstor T. Carbonell, National Review, 16 July 2021
Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2025
Orozco’s stickers of abstraction posed the question of whether abstraction—denigrated to its lowest possible level—could now serve as a last sign of resistance and redemption from the totalitarian conditions of reification.
—Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for totalitarian
Adjective
But, ten years later, his embrace of near-totalitarian control bears the deep imprint of his most personal beliefs about force, weakness, faith, and order.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2022
But that would not address the fundamental goal of the protests: to end the totalitarian stranglehold that has subjected the Cubans to an unbearable serfdom.
—Néstor T. Carbonell, National Review, 16 July 2021
Noun
The series had introduced Elisabeth Moss as June, a mother and wife who was captured by the totalitarian fascist regime the Republic of Gilead that had overthrown the U.S. government.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2025
Orozco’s stickers of abstraction posed the question of whether abstraction—denigrated to its lowest possible level—could now serve as a last sign of resistance and redemption from the totalitarian conditions of reification.
—Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for totalitarian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totalitarian
Adjective
-
Since seizing control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the group has implemented a string of oppressive measures against women and girls, even cracking down on the sound of women’s voices in public.—
Catherine Nicholls,
CNN Money,
8 July 2025
-
Others reject the portrayal of federal actions as oppressive, suggesting deployments like those in Los Angeles prioritize national security and immigration enforcement.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
Whether Trump's death quelled or accelerated authoritarian forces remains an open question.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 July 2025
-
All of these factors and their contribution to alienation can foster authoritarian beliefs and individualism.—
Nathan Meyers,
The Conversation,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
Why don’t all the rich potentates, sheiks, oligarchs and MAGA dictators meet and fix it?—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
25 June 2025
-
With the pandemic, the year-round population of a once-seasonal resort town swelled with Manhattan refugees, those in the Trump orbit, and tech and finance potentates, many of them serious collectors like Ken Griffin and Steve Ross.—
Ben Widdicombe,
Vulture,
12 May 2025
Noun
-
Like the Victor Hugo novel that inspired it, the musical rails against autocrats and the systems that elevate them.—
Megan Garber,
The Atlantic,
12 June 2025
-
Biden often spoke about Putin’s threat beyond Ukraine’s borders, both in terms of taking more territory in former Soviet states and emboldening autocrats around the world.—
Colin Meyn,
The Hill,
11 June 2025
Noun
-
Talks between Israel and Syria are ongoing, which would have been unthinkable during the reign of former dictator Bashar al-Assad, whose partnership with Iran and insistence that Israel hand over the Golan Heights to Damascus in exchange for normalization nipped any détente in the bud.—
Daniel R. DePetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
-
The uniform marks him as a firefighter from the old regime of dictator Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in December 2024 after a nearly 14-year civil war.—
Lauren Frayer,
NPR,
10 July 2025
Noun
-
The message would then be clear: The Russian tyrant won’t break Ukraine.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
-
King George is a tyrant who is unfit to lead people.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
4 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Totalitarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totalitarian. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share