authoritarian

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These two words should be carefully distinguished as their implications are quite different. Authoritarian is generally used of people or their actions and has the unfavourable meaning 'favouring or encouraging strict obedience to authority' (with overtones of excess); typical collocates include regime, ruler, government, personality, and leadership. Authoritative is generally used of things that people say or write, or the manner of their saying them (voice is a common collocate), and has the favourable meaning 'recognized as true or dependable'. Examples: (authoritarian)

The West was happy to bolster authoritarian governments that were not controlled by the Soviet Union to prevent them from turning communist—Foreign Affairs Magazine, 2004

(authoritative) He was cool, authoritative, and well spoken

a very authoritative article which looks at whether the Queen or the Governor General is Australia's head of State—J. Ray, 2003.

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Dictatorial and domineering. Authoritarian managers value employees’ unquestioned obedience.
See also theory x.

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adjective

1. Characterized by or favoring absolute obedience to authority: autocratic, despotic, dictatorial, totalitarian, tyrannic, tyrannical. See over/under.
2. Tending to dictate: bossy, dictatorial, dogmatic, domineering, imperious, magisterial, masterful, overbearing, peremptory. See over/under.

noun

One who imposes or favors absolute obedience to authority: autocrat, despot, dictator, martinet, totalitarian, tyrant. See over/under.

adj

Definition: domineering
Antonyms: democratic, liberal

For a list of words related to authoritarianism, see:

• Forms, Systems, and Philosophies - authoritarianism: principle of submission to authority; concentration of power in hands of autocratic leader or powerful elite not constitutionally bound or responsible to the people

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See words rhyming with "authoritarian."

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - autoritær, tyrannisk, despotisk
n. - autoritær person

Nederlands (Dutch)
autoritair, dominant, voorstander van autoritaire regering/ opvoeding

Français (French)
adj. - autoritaire
n. - partisan de l'autorité

Deutsch (German)
adj. - autoritär, unbedingten Gehorsam fordernd
n. - autoritäre Person

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - αυταρχικός, δεσποτικός, απολυταρχικός
n. - αυταρχικό, δεσποτικό άτομο

Italiano (Italian)
autoritario

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - autoritário
n. - autoritário (m)

Русский (Russian)
авторитарный, деспотический

Español (Spanish)
adj. - autoritario
n. - autoritario, persona autoritaria

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - auktoritär, diktatorisk
n. - auktoritär person

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
权力主义的, 主张服从权力的, 独裁主义的, 权力主义者, 独裁主义者

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 權力主義的, 主張服從權力的, 獨裁主義的
n. - 權力主義者, 獨裁主義者

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 권위주의의
n. - 권위주의자

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 権威主義者
adj. - 権威主義の, 独裁主義の

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) نظام فاشستي : خضوع الفرد خضوعا كاملا لمصلحه نظام أو دوله (الاسم) تصرف فاشستي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮רודני, סמכותי‬
n. - ‮אדם הדוגל בציות לרודנות‬

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