authoritarianism

noun [əˌθɔɹəˈtɛɹiəˌnɪzəm]

pronunciation

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, open source

Authoritarianism is a model of strong, weakly accountable political power that curtails opposition and media freedom, usually without claiming total mobilisation of all social life.

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Definitions

A form of government or governing style in which rulers concentrate power, restrict open contestation and keep opposition, courts and the press on a short leash, so that major choices are not subject to strong public checks.

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In comparative politics: a regime category often contrasted with totalitarianism, because ideological mass campaigns are weaker and private life is left freer, even while the executive still outranks any organised opposition.

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In pejorative use: a charge that someone rules by fiat, ignores fair procedure and silences critics, applied even outside textbook cases of historical regimes.

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Examples

Researchers traced how authoritarianism can coexist with staged elections that never threaten the incumbents.

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Her lecture placed authoritarianism next to liberal democracy to underline why divided powers matter for accountability.

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The editorial argued that a single restrictive statute is not by itself proof of authoritarianism when courts can still strike it down.

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Students listed shared and distinct traits of authoritarianism and totalitarianism before debating borderline cases.

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Usage

Everyday talk often uses authoritarianism as a blunt insult aimed at any tough executive. Scholarly writing should reserve it for systematic limits on contestation and accountability, or flag a figurative sense. The usual contrast with totalitarianism helps: here the focus is curbing rivals and media space, there also comes organised ideology and deeper intrusion into everyday private conduct. State whether you mean a regime type, a historical episode, or a decision style so readers do not confuse analysis with moral shorthand.

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Webster (1913) glosses Authority as coming from Latin auctoritas (itself from auctor) and defines Authoritative as possession of rightful power or a commanding, dictatorial manner. Separate lemmas Authoritarian and Authoritarianism are absent from that edition; the political labels are later. Skeat's AUTHOR entry moves from French back to Latin auctor and records derivatives including authority, authoritative and authorize, yet not authoritarianism. The English political noun therefore joins the verified root authority to the suffix -ism rather than quoting a pre-war headword.

source

Editorial team; facts: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913; W. W. Skeat, An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, 1910, open source

Writers often pair the noun with authoritarian regime, authoritarian tendencies, consolidation of authoritarianism, authoritarian rule and soft authoritarianism. The adjective authoritarian also labels a person or a governing habit. Precise prose keeps authoritarianism distinct from totalitarianism: one stresses hard, weakly checked power and squeezed political liberties; the other adds a drive for ideological monopoly, mass mobilisation and far-reaching private-life control. Exact borders still vary by author and by case.

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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)

English authoritarianism is built on the confirmed root authority (via authoritarian) plus the suffix -ism. Older public domain dictionaries used here record the family around author and authority but not the political lemma itself. Editorial definitions on this site are written from that factual base, never as a copy of a modern encyclopaedia gloss.

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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)

Word forms

Regular English noun, usually uncountable; the plural authoritarianisms is rare and refers to different kinds or national versions of the doctrine.

word forms

przypadek	forma
singular	authoritarianism
plural	authoritarianisms

Word forms: Editorial team

Collocations

authoritarian regime

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authoritarian tendencies

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consolidation of authoritarianism

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authoritarian rule

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soft authoritarianism

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Synonyms · Antonyms

Synonyms despotic rule, dictatorship

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Antonyms pluralism, liberal democracy

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Etymology

English authoritarianism rests on Latin auctor (maker, originator) and auctoritas (weight, rightful power), through English authority and authoritarian, plus the suffix -ism. Skeat under AUTHOR traces French forms to Latin auctor and lists derivatives author-ess, author-ship, author-i-ty, author-i-ta-tive, author-ise and author-is-at-ion; that line has no lemma authoritarianism. Webster (1913) treats Authority under the Latin auctoritas pedigree and Authoritative as due power or a dictatorial air of command, without Authoritarian or Authoritarianism as headwords. The political name arose in the twentieth century; older public domain sources used here lack that political lemma.

source

W. W. Skeat, An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., Oxford 1910, open source

also

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, open source

Related words

authoritarian , adjective; also noun for a supporter
authority , noun: rightful power or standing (root of the family)
authoritative , adjective: having due authority; air of authority (Webster 1913)
auctor , etymologically related Latin noun: maker, originator
totalitarianism , thematically related noun

Related entries

Questions and answers

What does authoritarianism mean?

It names concentrated political power that squeezes competition, accountability and opposition freedoms. Comparative work often contrasts it with totalitarianism, where ideological mobilisation runs deeper. Casual speech also uses it as a harsh label for arbitrary rule.

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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)

Where does the word authoritarianism come from?

Its root runs through Latin auctor and auctoritas into English authority. Skeat's AUTHOR entry notes author-i-ty and author-i-ta-tive but not authoritarianism. Webster lists Authority and Authoritative without Authoritarian. The -ism political label is a twentieth-century formation; the older PD dictionaries used here do not carry that lemma.

source

W. W. Skeat, An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., Oxford 1910, open source

How is authoritarianism different from totalitarianism?

Authoritarianism typically points to strong power that is hard to hold to account and that restricts political freedoms. Totalitarianism reaches further by seeking an ideological monopoly, organised mass mobilisation and deeper interference in private life. Authors still disagree on borderline cases.

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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)

How is authoritarianism inflected in English?

It is a regular English noun, usually uncountable. The rare plural authoritarianisms refers to different kinds or national versions of the doctrine. Related forms include authoritarian (adjective and occasionally a noun) and authority as the older root noun.

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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)