Autos in Greek means "same" or "self", so in an autocratic government all the power is held by the leader him- or herself. Autocratic governments are often called dictatorships, or sometimes autocracies. In everyday life, a teacher, a parent, or a football coach can all behave like autocrats as well.
democracy is supposed to protect the people against the rise of autocratic rulers
an autocratic Boy Scout leader who is under the delusion that he's still an army colonel
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While the prize can amplify a cause, experts caution that its impact is often limited in autocratic contexts.—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025 The world itself is getting much more autocratic, in the same way that Israel is becoming more autocratic.—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025 Fears are growing among Venezuela’s leadership that the true goal of the US deployment is toppling the autocratic regime of President Nicolás Maduro, though some warn a military intervention could further destabilize the country.—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025 That same energy appears to be in the streets of Belgrade now, sustained by a new generation of citizens standing firm against the tactic of a different autocratic leader.—Hanna Begić, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for autocratic
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