noun
- A person who behaves in a tyrannical manner.
- usage: "my boss is a dictator who makes everyone work overtime"
- synonyms: dictator
adjective
- Characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule; having absolute sovereignty.
- usage: "an authoritarian regime"; "autocratic government"; "despotic rulers"; "a dictatorial rule that lasted for the duration of the war"; "a tyrannical government"
- synonyms: autocratic, dictatorial, despotic, tyrannic, tyrannical
- Expecting unquestioning obedience.
- usage: "the timid child of authoritarian parents"; "insufferably overbearing behavior toward the waiter"
- synonyms: dictatorial, overbearing
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). authoritarian. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/authoritarian/definitions/1168739 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "authoritarian" http://smartdefine.org/authoritarian/definitions/1168739 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, authoritarian, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/authoritarian/definitions/1168739>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "authoritarian" 23 October 2010. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/authoritarian/definitions/1168739> |