as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
a military-led coup would almost certainly result in ironfisted Caesarism for that unstable nation
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Recent Examples of Caesarism
On Inner Excellence, Caesarism, nationalism, imperialism, ‘Newscum,’ Starbucks, and more
A football player made a self-help book the hottest seller in the country.
—
Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 15 Jan. 2025
Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 15 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Caesarism
Noun
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Cutié, 56, knows about the tyranny many Cubans have lived under.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
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Was her exclusion from the political world not its own kind of tyranny?—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Hungary had a very weak civil society after 70 years of totalitarian fascism and communism.—
John Shattuck,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2026
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This form evolved in the 20th century to address Marxism, fascism and class struggle, challenging traditional narratives through activism and experimental techniques.—
Jane M. Saks,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Thousands marched through Buenos Aires on Tuesday to mark 50 years since the 1976 military coup that ushered in one of Latin America’s bloodiest dictatorships.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Mar. 2026
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Unlike more cohesive dictatorships, Iran’s youth, middle class and ethnic minorities — Persians number less than 50% in a nation with seven major ethnic groups — are primed to rise once air power shatters the mullahs’ control.—
Chuck DeVore,
Twin Cities,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Researchers argued that career anxiety under autocracy creates both pro-regime henchmen and anti-regime plotters.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
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For example, in the 1930s, four major democracies (Germany, Japan, Italy, and Spain) became autocracies.—
Ray Dalio,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The hope is that the institutional reforms started by the interim administration of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus deliver the necessary checks and balances to avert another lurch toward despotism.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
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The strength and powers of despotism consist wholly in the fear of resisting it.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
16 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Jury President Wim Wenders praised the film for its portrait of life under totalitarianism saying the story would chime with and serve as a wakeup call for people all over the world.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
21 Feb. 2026
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His loathing for totalitarianism was among the very few hatreds Reagan ever held, his biographer Edmund Morris said.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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So the same establishment that had once helped push a Qajar shah toward constitutionalism helped pull a Pahlavi shah back from exile and back into absolutism.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
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Social media, ideological sorting, and the emotional intensity of war encourage absolutism.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In her book, Richard explains how a small group of wealthy people have led the country into authoritarianism, waging war on US ideals.—
Melinda Moore,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
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His themes intersect with those of Kiarostami—an anti-authoritarianism that, though no less radical, is an ironic, self-deprecating one.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Caesarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Caesarism. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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