Spanish Conversation · Level 29
89 words
Spanish word
totalitario
Pronunciation
IPA/totaliˈtaɾjo/
Meaning
- adjectivetotalitarian
Example
El régimen totalitario controlaba todos los medios.
The totalitarian regime controlled all the media.
More examples
Los ciudadanos vivían con miedo bajo un gobierno totalitario.
The citizens lived in fear under a totalitarian government.
Core concept
A state controlling every aspect of public and private life.
Common phrases
régimen totalitario
totalitarian regime
gobierno totalitario
totalitarian government
Similar words
autoritario: Relies on authoritative commands and regulations to curb individual autonomy.
dictatorial: Exercises absolute rule by one person or tiny group, making unilateral decisions.
opresivo: Imposes burdensome, coercive conditions that make life oppressive for ordinary people.
represivo: Targets and represses opposition, using force or legal punishment to stop protests.
Definition in Spanish
Que controla de forma absoluta la sociedad y las instituciones, suprimiendo libertades civiles y la pluralidad política.
Word origin
From Italian totalitario and ultimately from Latin totalis 'whole' plus the adjectival suffix -ario, indicating relation to the whole and thus total control.
Usage tips
- Used mainly for regimes or systems with absolute control; for an oppressive individual or a single authoritarian act, use autoritario instead.
Other meanings
- dictatorialadjective
- authoritarianadjective
Opposites
- democráticodemocraticadjective
- liberalliberaladjective
Related words
- totalitarismototalitarianismnoun
- totalitaristasupporter of totalitarianismnoun
- totalitariamentein a totalitarian manneradverb