as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
in times of crisis, when a nation's people are frightened, there are often calls for totalitarianism
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Recent Examples of totalitarianism
This lively novel examines the compromises and complicity of artists working in the face of totalitarianism through a fictional retelling of the life of the Austrian film director G. W. Pabst.
—
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
But, as Peck believes, Orwell has wrongly been interpreted as relevant only to an earlier time of Stalinist totalitarianism.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 16 May 2025
The four-part documentary series, released in April, features interviews with survivors of Soviet totalitarianism.
—Heather Hamilton, The Washington Examiner, 27 Apr. 2025
The skull is a thin barrier against totalitarianism.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for totalitarianism
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
But, as Peck believes, Orwell has wrongly been interpreted as relevant only to an earlier time of Stalinist totalitarianism.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 16 May 2025
The four-part documentary series, released in April, features interviews with survivors of Soviet totalitarianism.
—Heather Hamilton, The Washington Examiner, 27 Apr. 2025
The skull is a thin barrier against totalitarianism.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for totalitarianism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totalitarianism
Noun
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Determined to liberate Panem, Katniss and her fellow rebels embark on a dangerous journey into the heart of the Capitol to save the nation from President Snow’s tyranny once and for all.—
Kelly Martinez Published,
EW.com,
5 July 2025
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Religious freedom and freedom of speech make up the engine of self-government and form a bulwark against tyranny.—
Kristen Waggoner,
National Review,
5 July 2025
Noun
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Like many other industrialized nations, Japan in the 1930s turned to fascism and the construction of autarkic economic empires as a solution to the instabilities engendered by capitalist modernity.—
Waiyee Loh,
JSTOR Daily,
2 July 2025
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Amid the coming-out balls, proposals and a whopper of a divorce scandal, a more insidious theme emerged: the rise of fascism in Europe, and two of the sisters’ infatuation with it.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
24 June 2025
Noun
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During the dictatorship, blackouts were used to control people.—
Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
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But if Trump’s Iran gamble turns out well and Iran’s theocratic dictatorship either crumbles or gives up its uranium enrichment program through diplomatic negotiations — a big if — Trump will be credited with having done something four previous presidents contemplated but ultimately failed to do.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
22 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Totalitarianism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totalitarianism. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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