Dictionary
au•thor•i•tar•i•an
Pronunciation: (u-thôr"i-târ'ē-un, u-thor"-), [key]—
adj.
1. favoring complete obedience or subjection to authority as opposed to individual freedom:
authoritarian principles; authoritarian attitudes.
2. of or pertaining to a governmental or political system, principle, or practice in which individual freedom is held as completely subordinate to the power or authority of the state, centered either in one person or a small group that is not constitutionally accountable to the people.
3. exercising complete or almost complete control over the will of another or of others:
an authoritarian parent.
—
n.
a person who favors or acts according to authoritarian principles.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.