Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for totalitarianism

totalitarianism

[ toh-tal-i-tair-ee-uh-niz-uhm ]

noun

  1. the practices and principles of a totalitarian regime.
  2. absolute control by the state or a governing branch of a highly centralized institution.
  3. the character or quality of an autocratic or authoritarian individual, group, or government:

    the totalitarianism of the father.



totalitarianism

  1. Domination by a government of all political, social, and economic activities in a nation. Totalitarianism is a phenomenon of the twentieth century: earlier forms of despotism and autocracy lacked the technical capacity to control every aspect of life. The term is applied both to fascist governments ( see fascism ) and to many forms of communism .


Discover More

Other Words From

  • to·tali·tari·an·ist noun

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of totalitarianism1

First recorded in 1920–25; totalitarian + -ism

Discover More

Compare Meanings

How does totalitarianism compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Discover More

Example Sentences

“Liberalism has become consistently more aggressive in extending each of these features to their logical conclusion — their own contradiction in the form of liberal totalitarianism,” Deneen argues.

From Vox

Democracy is finished because they usher in totalitarianism.

Other democratic nations — such as Britain with its impartiality rules — have long relied on similar content regulations without sliding into totalitarianism.

The huge difference between those rulers and Napoleon comes down to one word: totalitarianism.

I believe totalitarianism is a peculiarly 20th century idea.

For Christopher, supporting the war was an expression of his anti-totalitarianism.

It was the hundreds, thousands, of humanists from Russia and the Eastern bloc who fought totalitarianism.

If young adults can handle erotic vampires and totalitarianism, surely they can stomach some more fictional blood.

Government disclaimed any vague totalitarianism and instead clarified its zone of functioning through the use of law.

As the global democratic revolution has put totalitarianism on the defensive, we have left behind the days of retreat.

Almost 50 years ago, we began a long struggle against aggressive totalitarianism.

Advertisement

Word of the Day

petrichor

[pet-ri-kawr]

Meaning and examples

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


totalitariantotalitarianize