authoritarian

English

Etymology

Circa 1880 authority +‎ -arian

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɔːˌθɒɹ.ɪˈtɛə̯.ɹɪən/

  • Audio (UK):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /əˌθɔɹ.əˈtɛɹ.i.ən/, /ɔˌθɔɹ.əˈtɛɹ.i.ən/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

  • Audio (New Jersey):

    (file)

Adjective

authoritarian (comparative more authoritarian, superlative most authoritarian)

1. Of, or relating to, or exhibiting strict obedience to an authority; favoring authoritarianism over civic and individual liberties.

   the authoritarian personality

2. Demanding obedience to authority; marked by authoritarianism; dictatorial, tyrannical.

   The authoritarian government was demanding stricter laws for low-wage peasants.

   • 2020 March 14, “What Did the Sudden Fall of the Berlin Wall Tell Us?”, in Minghui‎^[1]:

     It may be that precisely due to its weak nature, an authoritarian dictatorship needs rampant violence and lies to maintain its rule.

   • 2022, “September 25, 2022”, in Mainland Affairs Council‎^[2], archived from the original on 04 March 2023, Chronology:

     Wang Yi blatantly intimidates the world at the UNGA. He is a cheat and bully on the global stage in fundamental violation of the facts. Democratic countries should clearly recognize and unify against the challenge of authoritarian intervention. The Republic of China is a sovereign state. Taiwan has never been part of the People's Republic of China in historical fact, international law, or reality.

3. Tending to impose one's demands upon others as if one were an authority.

Synonyms

• (strictly obedient, supportive of obedience): See Thesaurus:bossy
• (demanding strict obedience): See Thesaurus:bossy
• (tending to impose one's demands): arrogant, commanding, haughty, imperious
• See also Thesaurus:bossy

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “characterised by a tyrannical obedience to an authority”): democratic, liberal
• (antonym(s) of “tending to impose one's demands”): servile, humble, modest

Derived terms

• antiauthoritarian
• anti-authoritarian
• authoritarian democracy
• authoritarianism
• authoritarianist
• authoritarianity
• authoritarianly
• authoritarianness
• counterauthoritarian
• counter-authoritarian
• nonauthoritarian
• post-authoritarian

 

Translations

of, or relating to, absolute obedience to an authority

• Arabic: سُلْطَوِيّ (sulṭawiyy)
• Catalan: autoritari (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 專制的／专制的 (zhuānzhì de)

• Danish: autoritær (da)
• Finnish: autoritaarinen (fi)
• French: autoritaire (fr)
• Galician: autoritario
• German: autoritär (de)
• Greek: αυταρχικός (el) (aftarchikós)
• Indonesian: otoriter (id)
• Japanese: 権威主義的な (ken'i shugiteki na)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: autoritær

  Nynorsk: autoritær

• Polish: autorytarny (pl)
• Portuguese: autoritário (pt)
• Russian: авторита́рный (ru) (avtoritárnyj)
• Spanish: autoritario (es)
• Swedish: auktoritär (sv)
• Ukrainian: авторита́рний (uk) (avtorytárnyj)
• Yiddish: אויטאָריטאַריש (oytoritarish)

demanding obedience to authority; dictatorial

• Albanian: autoritar (sq)
• Arabic: اِسْتِبْدَادِيّ (istibdādiyy), سُلْطَوِيّ (sulṭawiyy)
• Armenian: ավտորիտար (hy) (avtoritar)
• Azerbaijani: avtoritar
• Belarusian: аўтарыта́рны (aŭtarytárny)
• Bulgarian: авторита́рен (bg) (avtoritáren)
• Catalan: autoritari (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 獨裁的／独裁的 (dúcái de)

• Czech: autoritářský
• Danish: autoritær (da)
• Dutch: autoritair (nl)
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Estonian: autoritaarne
• Finnish: autoritaarinen (fi)
• French: autoritaire (fr)
• Galician: autoritario
• Georgian: ავტორიტარული (avṭoriṭaruli)
• German: autoritär (de)
• Greek: απολυταρχικός (el) (apolytarchikós)
• Hungarian: tekintélyelvű (hu)
• Indonesian: otoriter (id)
• Japanese: 強権的な (kyōkenteki na), 権威主義的な (ken'i shugiteki na), 権柄ずくの (kempei zuku no),
• Latvian: autoritārs
• Lithuanian: autoritarinis
• Macedonian: авторита́рен (avtoritáren)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: autoritær

  Nynorsk: autoritær

• Polish: autorytatywny (pl)
• Portuguese: autoritário (pt)
• Romanian: autoritar (ro)
• Russian: авторита́рный (ru) (avtoritárnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: а̏уторита̄ран

  Roman: ȁutoritāran (sh)

• Slovak: autoritársky
• Slovene: avtoritaren
• Spanish: autoritario (es)
• Swedish: auktoritär (sv)
• Tagalog: please add this translation if you can
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: otoriter (tr)
• Ukrainian: авторита́рний (uk) (avtorytárnyj)
• Uzbek: avtoritar (uz)
• Vietnamese: quyền uy (vi)

tending to impose one's demands upon others as if one were an authority

• Catalan: autoritari (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 高傲 (zh) (gāo'ào), 專橫／专横 (zh) (zhuānhèng)

• Danish: autoritær (da)
• Finnish: komenteleva, autoritaarinen (fi)
• French: autoritaire (fr)
• Galician: autoritario
• Greek: αυταρχικός (el) (aftarchikós)
• Indonesian: otoriter (id)
• Japanese: 横柄な (ja) (ōhei na), 傲慢な (ja) (gōman na), 高慢な (ja) (kōman na)
• Maori: whakatopatopa
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: autoritær

  Nynorsk: autoritær

• Polish: autorytarny (pl)
• Portuguese: autoritário (pt), mandão
• Russian: авторита́рный (ru) (avtoritárnyj)

Noun

authoritarian (plural authoritarians)

1. One who commands absolute obedience to his or her authority.

   The dictator was an authoritarian.

   • 2020 April 14, Quinta Jurecic, Benjamin Wittes, “Being an Actual Authoritarian Is Too Much Work for Trump”, in The Atlantic‎^[3]:

     Trump may be a Schmittian by instinct and aspiration, but he’s a fair-weather Schmittian only. A true authoritarian, confronted by limits on his power, might have ripped through them in service of establishing his authority.

2. One who follows and is excessively obedient to authority.

Translations

one who commands absolute obedience to his or her authority

• Arabic: مُتَسَلِّط ? (mutasalliṭ), مُسْتَبِدّ ? (mustabidd)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: please add this translation if you can

  Mandarin: 獨裁者／独裁者 (zh) (dúcáizhě)

• Czech: autoritář m
• Finnish: autoritaarinen johtaja
• Galician: autoritario m
• Greek: απολυταρχικός (el) m (apolytarchikós)
• Japanese: 権威主義者 (ken'i shugisha)

one who follows authority

• Chinese:

  Cantonese: please add this translation if you can

  Mandarin: 盲從者／盲从者 (mángcóng zhě)

• Finnish: esivaltaa totteleva henkilö
• Japanese: 権威主義者 (ken'i shugisha)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} autoritaire (fr)

References

• “authoritarian”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “authoritarian”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.