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Word for supporter of dictatorship

English Language & Usage Asked on May 4, 2021

Word for a supporter/believer in the cause of a dictator (but is not one themselves), or the concept of dictatorship in the general sense.

Dictatorist? Despotist?

3 Answers

Despotist does seem to be a word. From Merriam-Webster:

despotist: an advocate or supporter of despotism

Another option to consider is totalitarian. From Collins:

totalitarian: a person who advocates or practises totalitarian policies

Correct answer by JessWelch on May 4, 2021

Authoritarian. From the Oxford English Dictionary:

A. adj. Favourable to the principle of authority as opposed to that of individual freedom.

1879 Daily News 28 June 2/6 Men who are authoritarian by nature, and cannot imagine that a country should be orderly save under a military despotism.
1882 Contemp. Rev. Sept. 459 Communists of the ‘Authoritarian’ type.

B. n. One who supports the principle of authority.

1883 Times 2 Jan. 3/1 [Gambetta] was accused of being an authoritarian.
1884 Seeley in Encycl. Brit. XVII. 226/1 A lover of liberty, not an authoritarian.

Answered by Cerberus_Reinstate_Monica on May 4, 2021

You could also go for fascist though, strictly speaking, a dictatorship need not be a fascist dictatorship by definition. However, the term fascist is used to describe any type of authoritarianism today, even if not linked to the specific political system. See, for example, the 3rd definition below (source):

fas·cist [fash-ist]

  1. a person who believes in or sympathizes with fascism.

  2. ( often initial capital letter ) a member of a fascist movement or party.

3. a person who is dictatorial or has extreme right-wing views.

Answered by terdon on May 4, 2021

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