Did you know?
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.
Synonyms of autocratic
Examples of autocratic in a Sentence
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
Recent Examples on the Web
Leaving him out is like ignoring the massive autocratic elephant in the room.
—
Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
Berisha claims the protests have been peaceful, and people are only voicing their opposition to Rama’s increasing autocratic rule and his attacks of the justice system.
—Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Elections become charades in a lot of autocratic countries.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
For those unfamiliar with him, Piëch was an eccentric and autocratic engineering mastermind responsible for the original Audi Quattro and the modern VW Beetle.
—New Atlas, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for autocratic
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
Berisha claims the protests have been peaceful, and people are only voicing their opposition to Rama’s increasing autocratic rule and his attacks of the justice system.
—Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Elections become charades in a lot of autocratic countries.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
For those unfamiliar with him, Piëch was an eccentric and autocratic engineering mastermind responsible for the original Audi Quattro and the modern VW Beetle.
—New Atlas, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for autocratic
Cite this Entry
“Autocratic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autocratic. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
autocratic
adjective
au·to·crat·ic
ˌȯt-ə-ˈkrat-ik 
: of, relating to, or resembling autocracy or an autocrat
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
