I. ȯˌthärəˈterēən, əˌth-, -ˌthȯr-, -ˈta(a)r -ˈtār- sometimes |ȯthərə|t- adjective
Etymology: authority + -arian (as in humanitarian )
1. : of, relating to, or favoring a principle of often blind submission to authority as opposed to individual freedom of thought and action
a strict authoritarian hierarchy in which every man has his place, every class a defined function, a set of commands issuing from above, a group of subordinates below to be ordered ruthlessly about — Roy Lewis & Angus Maude
2. : of, relating to, or favoring a political system that concentrates power in the hands of a leader or a small autocratic elite not constitutionally responsible to the body of the people — opposed to democratic
an authoritarian regime
II. noun
( -s )
: one who advocates, supports, or furthers authoritarian principles and practices
uncompromising authoritarians, contemptuous of the individual — B.R.Redman