autocrat

noun au·to·crat \ ˈȯ-tə-ˌkrat \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Examples: autocrat in a Sentence

Definition of autocrat

1 : a person (such as a monarch) ruling with unlimited authority

2 : one who has undisputed influence or power

He was the autocrat of his household.

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Examples of autocrat in a Sentence

European autocrats once commonly believed that they had received the right to rule directly from God.

Recent Examples of autocrat from the Web

New York Times Trump all atwitter While waiting for his momentous meeting with the North Korean autocrat, President Trump had plenty of other things on his mind, too.

— washington post, BostonGlobe.com, "North Korean leader goes sightseeing in Singapore before meetings," 11 June 2018
Sadly for ambitious autocrats, the data suggest that China and the Middle East have already performed above their low potential.

— The Economist, "What makes a country good at football?," 9 June 2018
As a gift for then-autocrat Kim Jong Il — the current leader’s father — Albright had brought a basketball signed by Michael Jordan after learning that the diminutive Kim was a fan of the NBA.

— matthew pennington, The Seattle Times, "Tough talk: US envoys on how to negotiate with North Korea," 9 June 2018
By contrast, the U.S. under President Barack Obama embraced the 2011 protests that ousted such longstanding American allies (and autocrats) as President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia.

— WSJ, "Why Russia’s Middle East Gamble Has a Limited Payoff," 21 June 2018
Soros connects Eastern European autocrats and Trump Soros has long opposed the autocratic regimes of Eastern Europe and American conservative politics, well before the two converged around Islamophobia and isolationism in recent years.

— jane coaston, Vox, "Donald Trump Jr. suggested George Soros is a Nazi. That’s ridiculous.," 11 June 2018
For the North, that was a deeply provocative comparison, because Libyan autocrat Moammar Gadhafi was killed following U.S.-supported military action in his country about seven years after giving up his fledgling nuclear program.

— CBS News, "Trump hints at longer path for North Korea to denuke," 2 June 2018
On the cusp of President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin, Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, released indictments with profound implications for relations between the two countries.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "New indictments complicate the Trump-Russia relationship.," 13 July 2018
Since then, authorities have waged a sweeping crackdown on dissent, jailing thousands of Islamists as well as many of the prominent secular activists behind the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

— samy magdy, BostonGlobe.com, "Egypt’s president begins 2nd term amid crackdown on dissent," 2 June 2018

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