totalitario

totalitarian

adjective toh-tah-lee-TAH-ryoh Rare

Origin: From Italian totalitario (coined c. 1920s).

Usage Note

Totalitario describes a political system in which the state seeks total control over public and private life — régimen totalitario, estado totalitario. It was coined in Italian Fascist discourse and entered Spanish in the 1920s–30s. It is distinct from autoritario ('authoritarian'), which implies strong but not necessarily all-encompassing state control.

Examples

"El régimen totalitario controló todos los medios."

Natural Translation

The totalitarian regime controlled all media.

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