If you describe a person or an organization as authoritarian, you are critical of them controlling everything rather than letting people decide things for themselves.
[disapproval]
Senior officers could be considering a coup to restore authoritarian rule.
Synonyms: strict, severe, absolute, harsh More Synonyms of authoritarian
An authoritarian is someone who is authoritarian.
Don became the overly strict authoritarian he felt his brother needed.
More Synonyms of authoritarian
authoritarian in British English
(ɔːˌθɒrɪˈtɛərɪən)
adjective
1.
favouring, denoting, or characterized by strict obedience to authority
2.
favouring, denoting, or relating to government by a small elite with wide powers
3.
despotic; dictatorial; domineering
noun
4.
a person who favours or practises authoritarian policies
Derived forms
authoritarianism (auˌthoriˈtarianism)
noun
authoritarian in American English
(əˌθɔrəˈtɛriən; əˌθɑrəˈtɛriən)
adjective
1.
believing in, relating to, characterized by, or enforcing unquestioning obedience to authority, as that of a dictator, rather than individual freedom of judgment and action
noun
2.
a person who advocates, practices, or enforces such obedience
Derived forms
authoritarianism (auˌthoriˈtarianˌism)
noun
Word origin
authority + -arian
Examples of 'authoritarian' in a sentence
authoritarian
It's sort of authoritarian which reminds me of, er, well, no perhaps now's not the time.
Christina Jones TICKLED PINK (2002)
For reasons Neil had yet to understand, Carline seemed pleased that Dr Barbara had become more authoritarian.
Ballard, J. G. RUSHING TO PARADISE (2002)
Education, the most important activity of the social organism, has become rigid, moralistic, authoritarian.
Ursula K. Le Guin THE DISPOSSESSED (2002)
In other languages
authoritarian
British English: authoritarian ADJECTIVE
If you describe a person or an organization as authoritarian, you are critical of them controlling everything rather than letting people decide things for themselves.