Download the app
educalingo
Search
Orwell's '1984' convinced me, rightly or wrongly, that Marxism was only a quantum leap away from tyranny. By contrast, Huxley's 'Brave New World' suggested that the totalitarian systems of the future might be subservient and ingratiating.
J. G. Ballard

Meaning of "totalitarian" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD TOTALITARIAN

From totality + -arian.
info
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsapp
section

PRONUNCIATION OF TOTALITARIAN

totalitarian  [təʊˌtælɪˈtɛərɪən] play
facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsapp

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF TOTALITARIAN

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Totalitarian can act as a noun and an adjective.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

WHAT DOES TOTALITARIAN MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Totalitarianism

Totalitarianism or totalitarian state is a concept used by some political scientists to describe a political system in which the state holds total authority over the society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life wherever possible. The concept of totalitarianism was first developed in a positive sense in the 1920s by the Weimar German jurist, and later Nazi academic, Carl Schmitt and Italian fascists. Schmitt used the term, Totalstaat in his influential work on the legal basis of an all-powerful state. The concept became prominent in Western anti-communist political discourse during the Cold War era, in order to highlight perceived similarities between Nazi Germany and other Fascist states on the one hand, and Soviet Communist Party states on the other. Other movements and governments have also been described as totalitarian. The leader of the historic Spanish reactionary conservative movement called the Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right declared his intention to "give Spain a true unity, a new spirit, a totalitarian polity..." and went on to say "Democracy is not an end but a means to the conquest of the new state.

Definition of totalitarian in the English dictionary

The definition of totalitarian in the dictionary is of, denoting, relating to, or characteristic of a dictatorial one-party state that regulates every realm of life. Other definition of totalitarian is a person who advocates or practises totalitarian policies.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH TOTALITARIAN


authoritarian
ɔːˌθɒrɪˈtɛərɪən
communitarian
kəˌmjuːnɪˈtɛərɪən
documentarian
ˌdɒkjʊmənˈtɛərɪən
egalitarian
ɪˌɡælɪˈtɛərɪən
flexitarian
ˌflɛksɪˈtɛərɪən
fruitarian
fruːˈtɛərɪən
humanitarian
hjuːˌmænɪˈtɛərɪən
libertarian
ˌlɪbəˈtɛərɪən
nonsectarian
ˌnɒnsɛkˈtɛərɪən
Ontarian
ɒnˈtɛərɪən
parliamentarian
ˌpɑːləmɛnˈtɛərɪən
pescetarian
ˈpɛskəˌtɛərɪən
proletarian
ˌprəʊlɪˈtɛərɪən
sanitarian
ˌsænɪˈtɛərɪən
sectarian
sɛkˈtɛərɪən
Tartarian
tɑːˈtɛərɪən
Trinitarian
ˌtrɪnɪˈtɛərɪən
unitarian
ˌjuːnɪˈtɛərɪən
utilitarian
juːˌtɪlɪˈtɛərɪən
vegetarian
ˌvɛdʒɪˈtɛərɪən

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE TOTALITARIAN

total recall
total serialism
total serialization
totalisation
totalisator
totalise
totaliser
totalism
totalist
totalistic
totalitarianise
totalitarianism
totalitarianize
totalities
totality
totalization
totalizator
totalize
totalizer
totalled

WORDS THAT END LIKE TOTALITARIAN

agrarian
antiquarian
aquarian
assistant librarian
barbarian
Bavarian
Brian
Bulgarian
centenarian
contrarian
culinarian
Hungarian
librarian
Maid Marian
Marian
Old Bulgarian
ovarian
quinquagenarian
riparian
school librarian
veterinarian

Synonyms and antonyms of totalitarian in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «TOTALITARIAN»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «totalitarian» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of totalitarian

Translation of «totalitarian» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF TOTALITARIAN

Find out the translation of totalitarian to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of totalitarian from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «totalitarian» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

极权主义的
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

totalitario
570 millions of speakers

English

totalitarian
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

अधिनायकवादी
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

الشمولية
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

тоталитарный
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

totalitário
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

সর্বগ্রাসী
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

totalitaire
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Totalitarian
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

totalitär
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

一国一党主義の
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

전체주의의
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Totalitarian
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

độc tài
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

சர்வாதிகார
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

अधिनायकवादी
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

totaliter
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

totalitario
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

totalitarny
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

тоталітарний
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

totalitar
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

ολοκληρωτικό
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

totalitêre
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

totalitär
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

totalitære
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of totalitarian

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «TOTALITARIAN»

The term «totalitarian» is quite widely used and occupies the 44.277 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
80
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «totalitarian» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of totalitarian
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «totalitarian».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «TOTALITARIAN» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «totalitarian» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «totalitarian» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about totalitarian

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «TOTALITARIAN»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word totalitarian.
1
Christopher Alexander
But in practice master plans fail - because they create totalitarian order, not organic order. They are too rigid; they cannot easily adapt to the natural and unpredictable changes that inevitably arise in the life of a community.
2
J. G. Ballard
Orwell's '1984' convinced me, rightly or wrongly, that Marxism was only a quantum leap away from tyranny. By contrast, Huxley's 'Brave New World' suggested that the totalitarian systems of the future might be subservient and ingratiating.
3
Benazir Bhutto
When the United States aligns with dictatorships and totalitarian regimes, it compromises the basic democratic principles of its foundation - namely, life, liberty and justice for all.
4
George H. W. Bush
A new breeze is blowing, and a world refreshed by freedom seems reborn; for in man's heart, if not in fact, the day of the dictator is over. The totalitarian era is passing, its old ideas blown away like leaves from an ancient, lifeless tree.
5
Noam Chomsky
Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state.
6
Friedrich Durrenmatt
Only the freedom of mind can prevent the state from becoming totalitarian and from issuing totalitarian demands.
7
Hans Frank
In the main the Academy helped to frame only laws of an economic or social nature, since owing to the development of the totalitarian regime it became more and more impossible to cooperate in other spheres.
8
Frank Gaffney
After all, from the Muslim Brotherhood's inception in Egypt in 1928, it has been a revolutionary organization committed to the imposition worldwide of a totalitarian, supremacist Islamic doctrine they call shariah.
9
Judd Gregg
We invaded Iraq to change a totalitarian, despotic regime, and we have been successful there.
10
Os Guinness
I have lived under totalitarian Communism, so I prize freedom as much as anyone and have long fought for freedom of conscience and speech.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «TOTALITARIAN»

Discover the use of totalitarian in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to totalitarian and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes
Originally a chapter in the "Handbook of Political Science", this analysis develops the fundamental destinction between totalitarian and authoritarian systems.
Juan José Linz, 2000
2
A Normal Totalitarian Society: How the Soviet Union ...
Shlapentokh undertakes a dispassionate analysis of the ordinary functioning of the Soviet system from Stalin's death through the Soviet collapse and Russia's first post-communist decade.
Vladimir Shlapentokh, 2001
3
Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes in Europe: Legacies ...
Based on a conference organized by the Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the German Historical Institute, Warsaw, held in Sept. 2000.
Jerzy W. Borejsza, Klaus Ziemer, Magdalena Hułas, 2006
4
The Totalitarian Experiment in Twentieth-century Europe: ...
By assessing totalitarianism in a more deeply historical way, this study suggests how we might learn further lessons from this troubling phase of modern political development."--BOOK JACKET.
David D. Roberts, 2006
5
Popular Opinion in Totalitarian Regimes: Fascism, Nazism, ...
The contributions, written for this volume by internationally acknowledged experts in their fields, move beyond the rather static vision provided by traditional themes of consent and coercion to construct a more nuanced picture of everyday ...
Paul Corner, 2009
6
Post-totalitarian Spanish Fiction
In addition, this "epistemocritical" project will serve as a model for literary critics who wish to accommodate the increasingly popular approach labeled "cultural studies" without surrendering the primacy of the literary text.
Robert C. Spires, 1996
7
Democracy and the Post-totalitarian Experience
Annotation. "This book presents the work of Polish and American philosophers about Poland's transition from Communist domination to democracy.
Leszek Koczanowicz, Beth J. Singer, 2005
8
Inside the Red Box: North Korea's Post-totalitarian Politics
Many scholars dismiss Kim Jong-II's regime as a "one-man dictatorship," calling him the "last totalitarian leader," but McEachern identifies three major institutions that help maintain regime continuity: the cabinet, the military, and the ...
Patrick McEachern, 2013
9
The Literary Underground: Writers and the Totalitarian ...
This wide-ranging interdisciplinary study explores the concept of totalitarianism in western thought from Rousseau to George Orwell, taking its examples from twentieth-century European literature.
John Hoyles, 1991
10
The Totalitarian Party: Party and People in Nazi Germany and ...
Originally published in 1974, this book deals with the role of the totalitarian party in relation to the people under its rule.
Aryeh L. Unger, 1974

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «TOTALITARIAN»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term totalitarian is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Crimean Tatar groups meet to slam 'totalitarian' Russia
The World Crimean Tatars Congress Drafting Committee announced that 180 NGOs from 12 different countries will discuss what they call international ... «www.worldbulletin.net, Jul 15»
2
Madrid press website slammed as 'totalitarian'
Madrid's new left-wing city hall drew fire on Thursday for launching a website to correct erroneous media reports about it, which critics and rivals branded a ... «The Local.es, Jul 15»
3
Gay rights movement is showing its totalitarian side on religion: Erick …
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signs a reworked religious freedom bill into law after it passed in the House at the Arkansas state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark., ... «NOLA.com, Apr 15»
4
Is Iran a Totalitarian State?
Ask Iran hawks to describe the regime in Tehran, and you'll likely hear the word “totalitarian.” “I do not trust inspections with totalitarian regimes,” Benjamin ... «Defense One, Apr 15»
5
Fox's Judge Napolitano: 'Totalitarian Impulse' for Obama to Suggest …
Of course, this did not play well with everyone, and Fox's Andrew Napolitano called this a “totalitarian impulse” from the president. White House Press Secretary ... «Mediaite, Mar 15»
6
Terry Glavin: A whiff of totalitarianism in Bill C-51
“Our own society is still, broadly speaking, liberal. To exercise your right of free speech you have to fight against economic pressure and against strong sections ... «National Post, Feb 15»
7
New Edition of Darwin Day in America Exposes the Rise of …
Is America entering an era of "totalitarian science"? In the expanded paperback edition of Darwin Day in America (ISI Books, February 2015), political scientist ... «Discovery Institute, Feb 15»
8
Totalitarian state reaches out to Swiss tourists
A holiday fair in the Swiss capital is promoting an unusual destination: North Korea, a totalitarian state better known for its human rights abuses than its tourism ... «swissinfo.ch, Jan 15»
9
Turkey moving toward totalitarian regime, says Gezi report
The report titled "Turkey lurches between Democracy and Totalitarianism," which included contributions from many academics, lawyers and other civil society ... «Today's Zaman, Jan 15»
10
Chris Matthews Insists 'Homeland' Is a 'Totalitarian' Word That Wasn …
It strikes me as totalitarian. It's a term used by the neocons, they love it. It suggests something strange to me. Like, who else are we defending except America? «NewsBusters, Sep 14»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Totalitarian [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/totalitarian>. May 2024 ».
Download the educalingo app
en
English dictionary
Discover all that is hidden in the words on
index
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z