tyranny

noun tyr·an·ny \ ˈtir-ə-nē \

Updated on: 8 Apr 2018

Definition of tyranny

plural tyrannies

1 : oppressive power

every form of tyranny over the mind of man
—Thomas Jefferson

especially : oppressive power exerted by government

the tyranny of a police state

2 a : a government in which absolute power is vested in a single ruler; especially : one characteristic of an ancient Greek city-state

b : the office, authority, and administration of a tyrant

3 : a rigorous condition imposed by some outside agency or force

living under the tyranny of the clock
—Dixon Wecter

4 : an oppressive, harsh, or unjust act : a tyrannical act

workers who had suffered tyrannies

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Examples of tyranny in a Sentence

Cars freed Americans, already infamous for their mobility, from the tyranny of train schedules. —Cynthia Crossen, Wall Street Journal, 7 May 2003
Berlin remains a central attraction, and the evanescence of tyranny is a highlight of the visit. —William F. Buckley, Jr., National Review, 27 Sept. 1999
For in creating a cultural orthodoxy designed to combat racism, urban disorder, and a legacy of oppression, we subject ourselves to delusional dogma, the tyranny of conformity, and language that rings of fascist imagery. —Gerald Early, Harper's, January 1997
The refugees were fleeing tyranny.
He was dedicated to ending the tyranny of slavery.
a nation ruled by tyranny
She felt lost in the bureaucratic tyrannies of the university system.
The king sought an absolute tyranny over the colonies.

Recent Examples of tyranny from the Web

Stevens claims the Amendment has been misinterpreted in recent decades to extend beyond its original intent to allow citizens to form militias in the face of potential government tyranny.

— maura zurick, cleveland.com, "Talk it Out: Should the United States repeal the Second Amendment as 1 former Supreme Court Justice suggests?," 28 Mar. 2018
Boat people, drifters, all because of the tyranny of the military junta that has destroyed our future.

— zito madu, GQ, "The Unflinching Humanity of Ai Weiwei's Human Flow," 27 Mar. 2018
But, by far, the number one issue that keeps coming up is the lack of affordable housing and the tyranny of landlords.

— justine harman, Glamour, "Cynthia Nixon: ‘I Have a Right to Be Here’," 22 Mar. 2018
To appreciate how Iannucci makes this craven spectacle hilarious — while never downplaying the mass murders and incarcerations of Stalin’s tyranny — would require many spoilers.

— frank rich, Daily Intelligencer, "There’s a Hopeful New Path for Gun Politics in America," 1 Mar. 2018
For much of the last half-century, the paranoia and tyranny of the McCarthy era in America has seemed more like a bizarre anomaly than an evil that could easily reappear.

— deanna isaacs, Chicago Reader, "Arts / Opera / Performing Arts / LGBT Fellow Travelers brings the 1950s ‘lavender scare’ to opera," 19 Mar. 2018
Democracy has eclipsed tyranny, prosperity has outpaced poverty, medicine has routed illness, individual liberation has uprooted social convention.

— alison gopnik, The Atlantic, "When Truth and Reason Are No Longer Enough," 17 Mar. 2018
The book imagines a future society in which people are equally male and female and also dramatizes the perils of tyranny, violence and conformity.

— Bloomberg.com, "Bloomberg," 23 Jan. 2018
The book imagines a future society in which people are equally male and female and also dramatizes the perils of tyranny, violence and conformity.

— gillian flaccus, Time, "Acclaimed Feminist Science Fiction Writer Ursula K. Le Guin Dies at 88," 23 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tyranny.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tyranny

Middle English tyrannie, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin tyrannia, from Latin tyrannus tyrant

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

tyranny Synonyms

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

TYRANNY Defined for English Language Learners

tyranny

noun

Definition of tyranny for English Language Learners

: cruel and unfair treatment by people with power over others
: a government in which all power belongs to one person : the rule or authority of a tyrant