as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
concerning absolutism Lord Acton famously observed that "absolute power corrupts absolutely"
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Recent Examples of absolutism
But by the early seventeenth century the sovereigns of Britain, France, and elsewhere had begun to erode this medieval constitutionalism in favor of a new absolutism.
—
Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Aug. 2024
The selection of Vance clarified the party’s absolutism.
—Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post, 18 July 2024
Like some other Republican senators of his generation (Tom Cotton, of Arkansas; Josh Hawley, of Missouri; and Marco Rubio, of Florida, among them), Vance often stressed the need for Republicans to break from the free-market absolutism of the past.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
The result, in 1906, was the movement known as the Constitutional Revolution, which established a parliamentary system and brought about a short pause in Iran’s long history of absolutism.
—Amir A. Afkhami, Foreign Affairs, 2 Mar. 2020
See All Example Sentences for absolutism
Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Aug. 2024
The selection of Vance clarified the party’s absolutism.
—Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post, 18 July 2024
Like some other Republican senators of his generation (Tom Cotton, of Arkansas; Josh Hawley, of Missouri; and Marco Rubio, of Florida, among them), Vance often stressed the need for Republicans to break from the free-market absolutism of the past.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
The result, in 1906, was the movement known as the Constitutional Revolution, which established a parliamentary system and brought about a short pause in Iran’s long history of absolutism.
—Amir A. Afkhami, Foreign Affairs, 2 Mar. 2020
See All Example Sentences for absolutism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for absolutism
Noun
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For decades, Hollywood cast the American hero — from Rick Blaine to John McClane, Rocky Balboa, Ethan Hunt and Captain America — as the planet’s natural protagonist: the first responder to global chaos, the last line of defense against tyranny.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
7 May 2025
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The Allies were an unprecedented coalition of countries, ideologies, and people of all walks of life who stood shoulder to shoulder to defeat tyranny.—
Lt. General Leon Scott Rice,
Boston Herald,
7 May 2025
Noun
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Oesterheld was kidnapped during the Argentine military dictatorship in 1977 and presumed dead, which turned the graphic novel into a symbol of resistance.—
Isadora Wandermurem,
Time,
1 May 2025
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This agreement created the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary, giving full governing autonomy to Hungary, which Franz Joseph had placed under a military dictatorship following Hungarian nationals’ failed bid for independence in 1848.—
Elizabeth Djinis,
Smithsonian Magazine,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Join us for a timeless love story wrapped in smoky glamour and a firm middle finger to fascism.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
3 May 2025
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Within all that—and of more interest to me—is fascinating context about the interplay between democracy, fascism, communism, and religion in twentieth-century Europe, exemplified by one incredible sequence about Pope John Paul II’s 1979 visit to Communist Poland.—
Sarah Larson,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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If Hungary was an autocracy, then why were its critics still allowed to sit in the middle of the capital and say so?—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
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As the Eurasian balance tilts toward the autocracies, the risks to U.S. defense commitments continue to rise.—
MICHAEL BECKLEY,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The necessity of power sharing also meant that Congress could provide a check against despotism even if the same party held the Presidency and a majority in both houses.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2025
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And there are worse messages to be putting out into the world via family films right now than celebrating the virtues of kindness and fairness over cruel despotism.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which is now on the verge of dissolution, the U.S. had funded 40% of the world’s foreign assistance, including programs designed to combat disease, malnutrition, maternal mortality, totalitarianism, and climate change.—
Belinda Luscombe,
Time,
30 Apr. 2025
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Forgotten Anne, for example, makes arguments against authoritarianism and totalitarianism.—
G Kirilloff,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Absolutism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/absolutism. Accessed 16 May. 2025.
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