autocrat

noun au·to·crat \ ˈȯ-tə-ˌkrat \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

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

Egypt's official news agency says the country is planning to hold local council elections next year, the first since the country's 2011 the uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

— Fox News, "Egypt's parliament says municipal elections expected in 2019," 4 Apr. 2018
The most direct interpretation is that Facebook is ready to act as a tool of China’s autocrats in order to protect its market share—or at least that Bosworth is talking himself into doing so.

— robinson meyer, The Atlantic, "Facebook's Ideological Imperialism," 30 Mar. 2018
El-Sissi faces only a token opponent in the vote, which resembles the referendums held by autocrats for decades before the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011 briefly raised hopes of democratic change.

— maggie michael and samy magdy, chicagotribune.com, "Egypt votes in presidential election on final day, with all eyes on turnout," 28 Mar. 2018
El-Sissi faces only a token opponent in the vote, which resembles the referendums held by autocrats for decades before the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011 briefly raised hopes of democratic change.

— maggie michael, BostonGlobe.com, "Egypt votes on final day, with all eyes on turnout," 28 Mar. 2018
By refusing to get involved (beyond making and selling weapons of war), America is throwing its support against those seeking to celebrate and emulate Western values, and has chosen instead to back the autocrats.

— alessandra codinha, Vogue, "Tawakkol Karman Has Not Given Up On Yemen—And Neither Should You," 27 Mar. 2018
Putin meanwhile is one of the group of autocrats and global strongmen that Trump seems to admire -- an odd quirk in an American President who often appears tougher on allies than US foes.

— stephen collinson and zachary cohen, CNN, "Why Trump won't call Putin's election win a 'sham'," 21 Mar. 2018
Security forces raid a sit-in in Syria's third-largest city, Homs, where thousands of people tried to create the mood of Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of protests against Egyptian autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

— Bloomberg.com, "A Timeline of the Syrian Conflict as It Enters Its Eighth Year," 15 Mar. 2018
Tunisia is holding its first municipal elections since the 2011 revolution that overthrew a long-time autocrat and unleashed uprisings across the Arab world.

— bouazza ben bouazza, The Christian Science Monitor, "Jewish man runs as candidate for Ennahdha, Tunisia's Muslim party," 23 Mar. 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.