tyrannical

ty·ran·ni·cal | \ tə-ˈra-ni-kəl

How to pronounce tyrannical (audio)

, tī- \

variants: or less commonly tyrannic \ tə-ˈra-nik

How to pronounce tyrannic (audio)

, tī- \

Definition of tyrannical

: being or characteristic of a tyrant or tyranny : despotic tyrannical rule a tyrannical ruler

Other Words from tyrannical Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about tyrannical

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Examples of tyrannical in a Sentence

Everyone was afraid of their overbearing and tyrannical boss. a tyrannical ruler whose terrible reign was marked by unceasing violence

Recent Examples on the Web As my colleague Mary McCord recently wrote, the Constitution’s framers adopted the Second Amendment to address concerns that a standing army could lead to tyrannical rule. — Jonathan Backer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Opinion: Wisconsin should not tolerate illegal private militia groups," 19 Oct. 2020 Wild horses might drag the people of China away from their tyrannical government, but rather than shoot the horses in true Soviet style, the CCP has decided to break and bridle them instead. — Cameron Hilditch, National Review, "China’s Communist Christ," 1 Oct. 2020 An even worse accident in 1536 knocked him out cold, causing a lifelong leg injury and possibly inducing a version of CTE, which some historians muse caused his erratic mood-swings and tyrannical behavior later in life. — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, "Six historical observations on the season 2 premiere of The Spanish Princess," 12 Oct. 2020 One of the routine arguments by the pro-gun crowd is that the Second Amendment gives them the right to own firearms to protect themselves from a tyrannical government. — Arkansas Online, "OPINION | COLUMNIST: A mark of the times," 10 Oct. 2020 Daniels used his speech to denounce the tyrannical actions of Gov. Ducey in closing down the state during the pandemic. — AZCentral.com, "‘They scare the politicians’: How the Patriot movement’s extreme views found a home in the GOP," 1 Oct. 2020 The previous four were felled by either tyrants or tyrannical mobs. — Cameron Hilditch, National Review, "Self-Interest Is Not Enough: Lincoln’s Classical Revision of the Founding," 18 Sep. 2020 Starting today, Netflix tells the origin story of one of cinema's most tyrannical practitioners in Ratched. — Lynette Rice, EW.com, "Ratched producer explains how they brought pop culture's worst nurse to the small screen," 18 Sep. 2020 Duch was a senior figure in Pol Pot's tyrannical communist regime and ran the notorious Tuol Sleng S-21 torture prison in Phnom Penh, where at least 14,000 people died. — Helen Regan, CNN, "Khmer Rouge executioner 'Comrade Duch' who oversaw notorious torture prison dies age 77," 2 Sep. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tyrannical.' 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

1 Nov 2020

Cite this Entry

“Tyrannical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tyrannical. Accessed 16 Nov. 2020.

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