Authoritarianize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To impose or increase strict control by a central authority; to make a system or government more autocratic and less democratic; to enforce obedience through concentrated power rather than individual freedoms
2. To convert or transform an organization, state, or society into one governed by authoritative rule; to establish dominance through rigid regulations and limited personal rights; to adopt a governing style that suppresses dissent and promotes centralized command
3. To shift a political or social structure towards authoritarian principles; to enhance power held by leaders restricting open participation; to institutionalize control that reduces democratic practices and enforces conformity

Etymology: "Authoritarianize" is a plain formation: the adjective "authoritarian" with the verb-making suffix "-ize" attached, so that it means to make something authoritarian. The adjective itself came into English in the 1930s, and the suffix "-ize" comes from Greek "-izein" through Latin "-izare", a route that has been used since antiquity to turn nouns and adjectives into verbs. The word has a modern political flavour because its base has one. "Authoritarian" was pressed into English political writing in the period when European states were moving toward one-party rule, and "authoritarianize" follows the same pattern, describing the process of making a government or system more autocratic rather than describing a condition that already exists.