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Political vs Authoritarian - What's the difference?

political | authoritarian |

As adjectives the difference between political and authoritarian

is that political is concerning or relating to politics, the art and process of governing while authoritarian is of, or relating to, absolute obedience to an authority.

As nouns the difference between political and authoritarian

is that political is a political agent or officer while authoritarian is one who commands absolute obedience to his or her authority.

political

English

Alternative forms

* politicall (obsolete)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Concerning or relating to politics, the art and process of governing.
  • :
  • *
  • *:As a political system democracy seems to me extraordinarily foolish, but I would not go out of my way to protest against it. My servant is, so far as I am concerned, welcome to as many votes as he can get. I would very gladly make mine over to him if I could.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2012-01
  • , author=Philip E. Mirowski, volume=100, issue=1, page=87, magazine=(American Scientist) , title= Harms to Health from the Pursuit of Profits , passage=In an era when political leaders promise deliverance from decline through America’s purported preeminence in scientific research, the news that science is in deep trouble in the United States has been as unwelcome as a diagnosis of leukemia following the loss of health insurance.}}
  • *{{quote-news, year=2012, date=November 7, author=Matt Bai, title=Winning a Second Term, Obama Will Confront Familiar Headwinds, work=New York Times citation
  • , passage=That brief moment after the election four years ago, when many Americans thought Mr. Obama’s election would presage a new, less fractious political era, now seems very much a thing of the past.}}
  • Concerning a polity or its administrative components.
  • :
  • (label) Motivated, especially inappropriately, by political (electoral or other party political) calculation.
  • Of or relating to views about social relationships that involve power or authority.
  • (label) Interested in politics.
  • Synonyms

    * politic

    Antonyms

    * nonpolitical, non-political

    Derived terms

    * politicality * politically * political agent * political animal * political arithmetic * political asylum * political economy * political football * politicalness * political party * political prisoner * party political * politically correct * sociopolitical

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A political agent or officer.
  • * 1990 , (Peter Hopkirk), The Great Game , Folio Society 2010, p. 265:
  • One such officer was Count Nikolai Ignatiev, a brilliant and ambitious political , who enjoyed the ear of the Tsar and burned to settle his country's scores with the British.
  • a publication centred around politics
  • Statistics

    *

    authoritarian

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Of, or relating to, absolute obedience to an authority.
  • Characterised by a tyrannical obedience to an authority; dictatorial.
  • The authoritarian government was demanding stricter laws for low-wage peasants.
  • Tending to impose one's demands upon others as if one was an authority.
  • Synonyms

    * (sense, tending to impose one's demands) commanding, imperious * (characterised by a tyrannical obedience to an authority) illiberal, oppressive * See also

    Antonyms

    * (characterised by a tyrannical obedience to an authority) liberal

    Derived terms

    * authoritarianism * antiauthoritarian

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One who commands absolute obedience to his or her authority.
  • The dictator was an authoritarian .
  • One who follows and is excessively obedient to authority.
  • * 2006', Robert Altemeyer, ''The '''Authoritarians