absolutistic
- adjective
- /ˌæb.səˈluː.tɪs.tɪk/
- Many historians focus on the absolutistic rulers of the past who centralized power and limited citizen participation.
Examples
-
The Liberal press indicted the Bourbon judicial system as the agent of "absolutistic power" and of "a despotic spirit" belonging to a long-concluded past.
Academic text (1992) -
So far from making liberty absolutely secure, the absolutistic doctrine may have the unwitting effect of depriving the most essential liberties of the security they enjoy under more traditional, modest auspices.
Academic text (1993) -
In contrast to the name "FIDESZ," this party is neither democratic (but a rather centralised, absolutistic one) nor a "youth-oriented" organization (just have a look at the face of Mr. Orban and his colleagues).
Blog text (22) -
The rhetoric of Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda network is no less dualistic, absolutistic, immoderate, and polarizing.
Academic text (2003) -
Just because life is so precarious and uncertain, and because millions of people think that they cannot handle the changes and uncertainty life offers, especially its finality, the believer invents absolutistic gods in pretending there is some final, invariant answer to things.
Blog text (7) -
The government was criticized for its absolutistic policies, which stifled individual freedoms and dissent.
-
In his speech, the leader promoted an absolutistic vision of governance that rejected any form of negotiation or compromise.
Synonyms
Not limited or conditional, often about complete power
Using harsh, unfair power to control people and limit their freedom
Using power to treat people cruelly and unfairly
Having complete control and expecting people to obey without question
A leader who has complete power and does not allow others to disagree
A ruler who uses cruel and total power over people
Relating to a government where one person has all the power
A government or group that controls all parts of people's lives
A government led by one person with all the power
Antonyms
How Absolute
Surface Forms
Morphology
absolutistic = absolutist (transparent) = absolutist + ic
Formed from the noun 'absolutist' with the adjectival suffix '-ic', so the meaning 'relating to or characteristic of absolutism' is directly derived.
Etymology
Absolutistic comes from absolute, a word that originally meant 'complete' or 'not limited'. So absolutistic describes ideas or systems that want 'complete' or 'unlimited' power, which is why it often means support for total control and no room for disagreement.