totalitarian

This term describes a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life. It carries a heavy negative connotation, evoking images of surveillance, censorship, and the erasure of individual autonomy in favor of absolute state power. When used as a noun, it refers to an individual who champions such a system. Unlike a simple autocrat, a totalitarian seeks not just political power but total psychological and social control over the population.