strongman

noun

strong·​man ˈstrȯŋ-ˌman How to pronounce strongman (audio)
: one who leads or controls by force of will and character or by military methods

Examples of strongman in a Sentence

a Latin-American strongman who basically treated his nation's coffers as his personal bank account
Recent Examples on the Web Starting at the turn of the previous century, Heilbrunn showcases the myriad ways in which influential conservatives, including many prominent Republicans, fawned over strongmen like the German kaiser and various Cold War-era juntas. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 For years, strongmen and autocrats had a novel weapon in their hunt for political enemies. Jane Bradley, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024 Many of the Russian strongman’s enemies have died under mysterious circumstances. Sebastian Shukla, CNN, 19 Feb. 2024 In a nation of astonishing scale and diversity, the success of Indonesian democracy has been an example for countries elsewhere in the developing world — not least myriad other Muslim-majority states where strongmen and generals have long quashed the democratic aspirations of their peoples. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024 The militaries of successful strongmen are often drawn from the region or ethnic group that has strong ties to the leader. Angele Latham, USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2024 But in others, strongmen cultivated a performative democratization, ushering in the pretense of multiparty politics to appeal to Western capitals. Comfort Ero, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2023 Why is the election important? Congo has been dominated by strongmen and torn by secessionist movements since winning independence from Belgium’s brutal colonial rule in 1960. Katharine Houreld, Washington Post, 31 Dec. 2023 At one point, an ally of the Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov appeared in the ownership register. Paul Sonne, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'strongman.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of strongman was in 1859

Dictionary Entries Near strongman

Cite this Entry

“Strongman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strongman. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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