How to Use authoritarian in a Sentence

authoritarian

adjective
Definition of authoritariannext
Synonyms for authoritariannext
  • Fox said the post was a commentary on the authoritarian nature of the movement.
    — Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 30 Oct. 2022
  • He's embodied a strongman persona and doubled down on authoritarian rhetoric.
    — Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2024
  • 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
  • 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 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
  • The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 18 July 2024
  • Thousands piled into the Facebook thread to call them fake fans, many pointing out the anti-authoritarian, left-leaning themes of the band’s music.
    — Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 20 Jan. 2023
  • The authoritarian system is formed in such a way that without a very clear command from the leadership, people don’t do anything.
    — Catherine Belton, Shane Harris and Greg Miller, Anchorage Daily News, 25 July 2023
  • Boye was not the only writer of her time to be interested by the idea that authoritarian states might draw their power in part from the suppression of women.
    — Talya Zax, The New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2023
  • White House aides said in advance of the visit that Biden would broach the topic of human rights with El-Sisi, whose government has taken an authoritarian turn.
    — Zeke Miller, Seung Min Kim and Chris Megerian, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Nov. 2022
  • The authoritarian pasts of nations trying to leave those pasts behind and not quite succeeding.
    — Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 14 Aug. 2023
  • However, the lack of the guidance offered by authoritarian parents takes a toll.
    — Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, 28 June 2023
  • Those of us who escaped authoritarian regimes often feel especially grateful for our ability to express our opinions without fear of repercussions.
    — Irma Becerra, Forbes, 28 Oct. 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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