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authoritarianism

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Etymology and origin of the English word authoritarianism

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1868 A. J. Davis, The Great Harmonia More words from the 19th century
Ultimate origins
Old French autoritéEnglish -arianFrench -isme
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English authority
English authoritarian
English authoritarianism
From the same root
English authoritative ← authority

Pronunciation

  • US: /ɔˌθɔːɹɪˈtɛːɹiən.ɪzm̩/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English authoritarian + -ism.[2][3] The base, recorded as a noun from 1856 and as an adjective from 1862, is formed from the stem of authority with -arian,[2][4] after words such as humanitarian;[4] the OED notes that its form probably owes much to French autoritaire, Italian autoritario, Spanish autoritario and German autoritär, all recorded from the 1860s and 1870s.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Authoritarian character or behaviour: 1868, in A. J. Davis's Great Harmonia,[2][4] the same writer who has the first record of the noun authoritarian in 1856.[2]

Semantic evolution

The revised OED and Merriam-Webster date the word to 1868,[2][4] Etymonline to 1883,[3] and the 1989 edition of the OED to 1909.[5] Etymonline notes that early use was mostly in communist jargon.[3] The OED gives both authoritarian behaviour and authoritarian government as its meaning,[2] and Wiktionary describes it chiefly as a form of government in which the rulers hold absolute or near-absolute control.[1]

Timeline

  • 1868 – authoritarian character, behaviour or government.[2][4] Etymonline dates the word to 1883, and the 1989 edition of the OED to 1909.[3][5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Authoritarian principles or behaviour; the favouring of strict obedience to authority over personal liberty.[4][2][5]
  2. Authoritarian government; a political system in which a ruler or small group holds almost absolute power: The coup brought a return to authoritarianism.[2][4][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Authoritarianism.” Etymologically, 8 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/authoritarianism. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·