authoritarian
aut·ho·ri·tarian
adjective
1.
characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule; having absolute sovereignty
- “an authoritarian regime”
- “autocratic government”
- “despotic rulers”
- “a dictatorial rule that lasted for the duration of the war”
- “a tyrannical government”
3.
expecting unquestioning obedience
- “he was imperious and dictatorial”
- “the timid child of authoritarian parents”
- “insufferably overbearing behavior toward the waiter”
noun
1.
a person behaves in an tyrannical manner
- “my boss is a dictator who makes everyone work overtime”
Origin
From authority + -arian, circa 1880.
Phrases
- authoritarian democracy
Related words
Word family
Broader terms
Narrower terms
WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.