totalitarian
/ˌtoʊtəlɪˈtɛɹiən/adjective, noun
totalitarian is spelled T-O-T-A-L-I-T-A-R-I-A-N: 12 letters and 6 syllables. It appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,073rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, totalitarian means “Of or relating to a system of government where the people have virtually no authority and the state wields absolute control of every aspect of the…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in totalitarian?
| Letters | 12: T-O-T-A-L-I-T-A-R-I-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 6 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.6 times per million words; the 22,073rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is totalitarian?
Totalitarian appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,073rd 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 totalitarian?
- UK /ˌtəʊtalɪˈtɛəɹiən/
- US /ˌtoʊtəlɪˈtɛɹiən/
Totalitarian has 6 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-totalitarian.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with totalitarian?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as totalitarian from its last stressed vowel (/ɛɹiən/):
- humanitarian
- Bulgarian
- vegetarian
- authoritarian
- ovarian
- sectarian
- veterinarian
- bavarian
- egalitarian
- unitarian
- antiquarian
- parliamentarian
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of totalitarian
- more totalitarian comparative
- most totalitarian superlative
- totalitarians plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does totalitarian mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or relating to a system of government where the people have virtually no authority and the state wields absolute control of every aspect of the country, socially, financially, and politically.
The divine truth is stronger than totalitarian falsehoods.
noun
- 1
An advocate of totalitarianism.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Totalitarian in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense related to the system of government:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | totalitaire |
| German | totalitär |
| Portuguese | totalitário |
| Spanish | totalitario |
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.
Where does totalitarian come from?
From Italian totalitario (“complete, absolute, totalitarian”) + -an. Equivalent to totality + -arian.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).