as in dictatorship
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
a popular uprising replaced that nation's tyranny with freedom and democracy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tyranny
Robin Hood has long been a mascot for anyone who opposes tyranny, greed and corruption.
—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
22 June 2026
As grim as The Handmaid’s Tale could often be, its six-season story was ultimately about June and her fellow rebels resisting Gilead’s tyranny and fighting back against oppression.
—
Louis Peitzman,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 June 2026
When does government become tyranny?
—
Vivian Yee,
New York Times,
20 June 2026
The new aircraft will challenge that tyranny with non-stop, point to point service between the largest cities in Australia and Great Britain.
—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for tyranny
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
22 June 2026
As grim as The Handmaid’s Tale could often be, its six-season story was ultimately about June and her fellow rebels resisting Gilead’s tyranny and fighting back against oppression.
—
Louis Peitzman,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 June 2026
When does government become tyranny?
—
Vivian Yee,
New York Times,
20 June 2026
The new aircraft will challenge that tyranny with non-stop, point to point service between the largest cities in Australia and Great Britain.
—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for tyranny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyranny
Noun
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Building tension gave way to war in 1982, when Argentina, then under a brutal dictatorship, sent a military expedition to the islands.
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Public anger over Chun’s dictatorship led to massive nationwide protests in 1987, forcing him to accept a constitutional revision introducing direct presidential elections, which is widely seen as the start of South Korea’s transition to democracy.
Noun
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This book keeps my feet on the ground and my heart connected to the greater pulse suffering under late-stage capitalism and fascism.
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Through blood-curdling howls and rants about fascism, fraud, and fighting to understand your identity, Truck Violence push through ugliness to find something more unaltered and real.
Noun
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The nation which will not adopt an equilibrium of power must adopt a despotism.
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His dream was nothing less than a new reality, a hopeful future free of despotism, ruled by equality and liberty, rather than kings and queens.
Noun
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In spite of their original values of humanitarianism and neutrality, these organizations have been morally debased from within, using the language of human rights and international justice yet deploying it on behalf of autocracies and against the liberal democracies that created them.
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The good ones who are trying to carefully transition a country from democracy to autocracy don't do it overnight.
Noun
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Visual artist and historian Ranfis Suárez Ramos highlighted the importance of internet access for Cubans as a way to break the hold of totalitarianism.
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His parents’ experience living under totalitarianism shaped his outlook on the world.
Noun
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Rent it on most major platforms Forbidden to enter the stadium, several Iranian women sneak in dressed as men to watch a World Cup qualifying match in the master director Jafar Panahi’s movie about everyday defiance under authoritarianism.
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The handmaids’ crimson robes evolved into protest iconography around the world because the story captured fears about authoritarianism and gender more viscerally than overt political messaging ever could.
Noun
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In fact, that kind of absolutism is a good way to become part of another kind of silencing, another kind of injustice.
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The result is the extreme polarization and absolutism.
Cite this Entry
“Tyranny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyranny. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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