autocrat

au·to·crat | \ ˈȯ-tə-ˌkrat

How to pronounce autocrat (audio)

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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 on the Web The left-wing autocrat who succeeded Hugo Chávez in 2013 has tightened his grip on power, stacking the country’s courts, punishing dissent and using the Venezuelan military to all but crush a budding opposition movement. — Washington Post, "The Hague should formally investigate Venezuelan ‘crimes against humanity,’ OAS says," 2 Dec. 2020 Magyar divides the autocrat’s journey into three stages: autocratic attempt, autocratic breakthrough, and autocratic consolidation. — Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, "By Declaring Victory, Donald Trump Is Attempting an Autocratic Breakthrough," 5 Nov. 2020 Biden, who has called Erdogan an autocrat, has signaled that concerns over Turkey’s human rights abuses and anti-democratic practices will again come to the forefront. — Laura King, Los Angeles Times, "Biden’s win poses a dilemma for world leaders who went all-in on Trump," 10 Nov. 2020 For an entrenched autocrat, an election is mere theatre—but the conclusion of the Trump-Biden race remains unpredictable, despite concerns about voter suppression, disputed ballot counts, and civil unrest. — Jane Mayer, The New Yorker, "Why Trump Can’t Afford to Lose," 1 Nov. 2020 White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien suggested that U.S. officials are avoiding more overt displays of support for the protesters against Belarusian autocrat Alexander Lukashenko in order to avoid triggering a worse crisis. — Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, "Allies fear bad actors will take advantage of 'power vacuum' during election chaos," 19 Oct. 2020 Sudan is on a fragile path to democracy after a popular uprising last year led the military to overthrow the longtime autocrat, Omar al-Bashir. — Deb Riechmann And Matthew Lee, The Christian Science Monitor, "Sudan to normalize ties with Israel as Arab states shift stance," 23 Oct. 2020 Sudan is on a fragile path to democracy after a popular uprising last year led the military to overthrow the longtime autocrat, Omar al-Bashir. — Arkansas Online, "Trump: Sudan to join UAE, Bahrain in recognizing Israel," 23 Oct. 2020 Russian officials and allies such as Belarusian autocrat Alexander Lukashenko maintain that the controversy has been orchestrated by Western powers, but Gilmore suggested that Russian authorities have a clear motive. — Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, "US ambassador: Navalny poisoning ‘domestic terrorism against citizens of Russia’," 3 Sep. 2020

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.

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Last Updated

8 Dec 2020

Cite this Entry

“Autocrat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autocrat. Accessed 14 Dec. 2020.

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