Meaning & use
totalitarian
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Of a government or system that controls every part of people's lives and allows no opposition.
Grammar: Usually used before a noun: totalitarian state. Can also be used after a linking verb: The regime was totalitarian.
Patterns
- totalitarian state
- totalitarian regime
- totalitarian government
The country suffered under a totalitarian regime for decades.
A totalitarian state controls the media, education, and even private life.
The novel depicts a future totalitarian society.
nouncountable
A person who supports or belongs to a totalitarian system.
Grammar: Often used in the plural: totalitarians.
Patterns
- a totalitarian
- the totalitarians
The totalitarians crushed all dissent.
He was accused of being a totalitarian at heart.
Word forms
| plural | totalitarians |
|---|
Common combinations
- totalitarian regime
- The totalitarian regime banned all political parties.
- totalitarian state
- In a totalitarian state, citizens are watched constantly.
- totalitarian control
- The party exercised totalitarian control over the media.
- totalitarian society
- They dreamed of escaping their totalitarian society.
Synonyms and how they differ
- authoritarian
- Less extreme; an authoritarian government demands obedience but does not try to control every aspect of life.
- dictatorial
- Focuses on the power of a single leader rather than the whole system.
Opposites
Word family
- totalitarianism noun
- The political system of total control.
Commonly confused: totalitarian or authoritarian?
totalitarian vs authoritarian
Authoritarian means favoring strict obedience; totalitarian means seeking total control over all aspects of life.
Practice
The government tried to control every aspect of citizens' lives, from work to private beliefs. It was a ___ regime.
Choose one answer.
'Totalitarian' describes a system with complete control over public and private life. 'Democratic' and 'liberal' are opposites, and 'anarchist' means without government.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “totalitarian”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.