adj
totalitarian
tohta-lih-TEH-uh-ree-uhn
adj
1
Describing a system of government in which the state has total control over public and private life, and opposition is not tolerated.
"Historians study how totalitarian regimes rose to power in the 20th century."
noun
1
A supporter of totalitarian government.
"The pamphlet was written by a self-declared totalitarian."
How to Use Totalitarian
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDescribes a government that controls almost every part of people's lives and crushes dissent.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
totalitarian regime
totalitarian state
totalitarian control
Word Forms
more totalitarian comparative, totalitarians plural, most totalitarian superlative
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Etymology
From Italian totalitario, "complete, absolute," combined with the suffix -an.