Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Authoritarians take power in the short term by fear and maybe force.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2026

Authoritarians have learned that the arrests of high-profile individuals can easily become international scandals that amplify the impact a dissident has.

From Washington Post • Oct. 4, 2021

Authoritarians test norms as a way of ultimately breaking them.

From Salon • Jul. 27, 2020

Authoritarians come in many kinds—theistic and military and bully-worshipping—but Morris was an unusual and modern thing, an aesthetic authoritarian.

From The New Yorker • Jul. 23, 2018

Authoritarians frequently gauge their subordinates’ loyalties by ordering them to agree to things that are plainly untrue.

From Slate