Fascistize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Turning a government, group, or society into one run along authoritarian, ultranationalist lines with total control over citizens
2. Making a political system or institution adopt the repressive, dictatorial character associated with fascism
3. Transforming something so that it takes on the militaristic, censorious and single-party features of fascist rule

Etymology: Fascistize means to make something fascist in character, or to bring it under fascist control. It is built from "fascist" with the suffix "-ize," which turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning to make or become something. The base word itself traces back to the Italian "fascio," meaning a bundle or group, from the Latin "fasces," the bundle of rods carried before Roman magistrates as a symbol of authority. That Roman emblem gave Mussolini's movement its name, and the verb grew out of it. Because the verb is formed directly from "fascist," its meaning follows the political sense of that base word rather than the older Roman image. Its use is most common when describing institutions, media, or cultures that are being reshaped along authoritarian, nationalist lines, often by gradual pressure instead of a single seizure of power.

Synonyms: authoritarianize, totalitarianize

Antonyms: democratize, liberalize