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authoritarian state

authoritarian state

1 7.6
A country ruled by leaders who tightly control people's lives and freedoms
  • noun
  • /ˌɔːθəˈrɪtɛriən steɪt/
translation icon : estado autoritario
  • A nationwide labor allocation system under the administration of the communist authoritarian state finally took shape in 1956 (Wang 1998, 96-99).
  • authoritarian state power

China is a techno authoritarian state that's on the rise.

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Examples

  • Lenin's writings were the beginning of that special kind of ideological and propagandist language characteristic of an authoritarian state.

    Academic text (1995)
  • The Democracy Index of the Economist Intelligence Unit indicates that there are approximately 55 "authoritarian states" today worldwide.

    Academic text (2014)
  • Chile has a capitalist economy, even though it is an authoritarian state.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Unlike authoritarian states, a democratic government must mobilize public opinion in favor of new policies.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Authoritarian states do not use technology simply to block the free flow of unwelcome ideas.

    Academic text (2010)
  • The positivist strain was compatible only with an authoritarian state under the direction of the military.

    Academic text (1992)
  • China is a techno authoritarian state that's on the rise.

  • Other authoritarian states seek to emulate the Chinese model, restricting Internet access and controlling domestic media.

    Academic text (2010)
  • In the years that followed, Mobutu transformed a military coup into a single-party system of government and an authoritarian state.

    Academic text (2004)
  • In an authoritarian state, citizens often have limited freedom to express their opinions openly.

Synonyms

dictatorship
vsauthoritarian state
157 4.8

A government where one person or a small group has all power and does not allow political opposition

is defined by strict control over lives rather than merely lacking legal limits
police state
vsauthoritarian state
30 7.5

A country where the government uses strict police control and spying to limit people's freedoms

relies on central authority controlling lives beyond mere policing
despotism
vsauthoritarian state
  • Formal
7 9.6

A government where one person or group has all power and rules cruelly

uses strict control but may not be cruel or personally oppressive
totalitarian regime
vsauthoritarian state
  • Formal
6 8.3

A government that controls almost all parts of people's lives by force

employs strict control but may not aim to control every personal thought
authoritarian regime
vsauthoritarian state
5 7.4

A government where one leader or a small group holds power and limits people's freedoms

focuses on strict control of both public and private life rather than only power concentration
totalitarian state
vsauthoritarian state
  • Formal
5 8.2

A government that controls almost every part of people's lives and punishes people who disagree

allows strict control but stops short of complete domination of private life
autocracy
vsauthoritarian state
5 8.2

A government in which one person has all power

centers power in authority that may be collective, not only a single ruler
autarchy
vsauthoritarian state
  • Formal
9.9

A government where one person has all the power and decides everything

can be exercised by a central authority that is not limited to one person

Antonyms

649 3.0

Relating to a system where people vote and have equal rights

How Authoritarian

totalitarian state
  • Formal
5 8.2
authoritarian state
1 7.6

Surface Forms

Morphology

authoritarian + state

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'authoritarian' (exercising strict, unquestioned control) + 'state' (a nation or political entity); there is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift. This construction is cross-linguistically common and follows normal adjective + noun semantics, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand it.

Etymology

The term authoritarian state comes from the words authoritarian, meaning a strong 'authority' who gives orders, and state, meaning a 'country'. So imagine a ruler who makes the rules and people must obey, and you can see why it means a country where the government has strict control over people's lives and does not answer to the people.