as in tyrant
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
the despot exiled political dissidents to remote labor camps, where they were left to rot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of despot
Beloved strongmen can slide into becoming desperate despots, a risk courted by all of Bukele’s imitators and by Bukele himself.
—
Beatriz Magaloni, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2025
Kornbluth: On depression and despots Josh Kornbluth has established himself over the years as one of the Bay Area’s best storytellers.
—Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 28 Aug. 2025
The dance, not seen in years, is loosely based on the play by Eugene O’Neill, about an arrogant despot undone by his demons.
—Shauna Lyon, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2025
Who is the public supposed to turn to when public broadcasting networks appear to be manipulated by an aspiring despot?
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for despot
Beatriz Magaloni, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2025
Kornbluth: On depression and despots Josh Kornbluth has established himself over the years as one of the Bay Area’s best storytellers.
—Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 28 Aug. 2025
The dance, not seen in years, is loosely based on the play by Eugene O’Neill, about an arrogant despot undone by his demons.
—Shauna Lyon, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2025
Who is the public supposed to turn to when public broadcasting networks appear to be manipulated by an aspiring despot?
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for despot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despot
Noun
-
The light historical touch is no doubt necessary for a series trying to sell its viewers on a love story between a modern protagonist and a character originally based on a real-life historical tyrant.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Reynolds is a tetchy tyrant, who, enabled by his sister, Cyril (Lesley Manville), has embraced a need to have things just so as a means of warding off vulnerability.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The author understood how power works, and the lengths that people, classes, political parties and dictators would go to keep it.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Declaring war on our nation’s cities and using our troops as political pawns is what dictators do.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Despot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despot. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share