authoritarianism
/ɔˌθɔːɹɪˈtɛːɹiən.ɪzm̩/noun
authoritarianism is spelled A-U-T-H-O-R-I-T-A-R-I-A-N-I-S-M: 16 letters and 8 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, authoritarianism means “A form of government in which the governing body has absolute, or almost absolute, control. Typically this control is maintained by force, and little…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of authoritarianism is authoritarianisms.
How many letters and syllables are in authoritarianism?
| Letters | 16: A-U-T-H-O-R-I-T-A-R-I-A-N-I-S-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 8 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,918th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is authoritarianism?
Authoritarianism appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce authoritarianism?
- US /ɔˌθɔːɹɪˈtɛːɹiən.ɪzm̩/
Authoritarianism has 8 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-authoritarianism.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of authoritarianism
- authoritarianisms plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does authoritarianism mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A form of government in which the governing body has absolute, or almost absolute, control. Typically this control is maintained by force, and little heed is paid to public opinion or the judicial system.
Near-synonyms: dictatorialism; autocratism; totalitarianism (see usage note there)
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Authoritarianism in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense authoritarian form of government:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | autoritarisme |
| German | Autoritarismus |
| Portuguese | autoritarismo |
| Spanish | autoritarismo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.