despotism
noun
des·po·tism
ˈde-spə-ˌti-zəm 
1
a
: oppressive absolute (see absolute sense 2) power and authority exerted by government : rule by a despot
An excess of law is despotism, from which free men revolt.—
S. B. Pettengill
S. B. Pettengill
b
: oppressive or despotic exercise of power
… rescued countless schoolchildren from the despotism of persnickety pedagogues.—Graham Robb
Graham Robb2
a
: a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power : absolutism
b
: a despotic state
enduring the despotism of the czars
Examples of despotism in a Sentence
by the end of the 20th century many countries around the world had rejected despotism in favor of democracy
Recent Examples on the Web
These achievements made the United States the political model of the liberal state, which displaced the monarchical dynasties of Europe in the nineteenth century, then rescued Western civilization from the totalitarian despotisms of Germany, Japan, and the Soviet Union in the twentieth.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
In recent months, as despotism intensified an increasing number of writers, scholars, and thinkers were declared foreign agents, and their books were taken off the shelves.
—Nina Khrushcheva, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
Rather than panicking over Moscow’s maneuverings or conditioning their own support on Syria’s total break with Russia, U.S. and European leaders should focus on helping Syrians recover after a decade of civil war and a half century of despotism.
—Hanna Notte, Foreign Affairs, 3 Oct. 2025
The Bashar Assad regime’s collapse inspired a wave of optimism about despotism turning into democracy.
—Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
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Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
In recent months, as despotism intensified an increasing number of writers, scholars, and thinkers were declared foreign agents, and their books were taken off the shelves.
—Nina Khrushcheva, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
Rather than panicking over Moscow’s maneuverings or conditioning their own support on Syria’s total break with Russia, U.S. and European leaders should focus on helping Syrians recover after a decade of civil war and a half century of despotism.
—Hanna Notte, Foreign Affairs, 3 Oct. 2025
The Bashar Assad regime’s collapse inspired a wave of optimism about despotism turning into democracy.
—Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despotism
Cite this Entry
“Despotism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/despotism. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
despotism
noun
des·po·tism
ˈdes-pə-ˌtiz-əm
1
: rule by a despot : tyranny
2
: a state or a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
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