as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
having just thrown off the yoke of Great Britain, the American Founding Fathers were adamantly opposed to establishing some form of homegrown autarchy
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Recent Examples of autarchy
But that’s the point: These people don’t live in an autarchy.
—
David Marchesephotograph By Christopher Anderson/magnum, For The New York Times, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2022
But Russia’s economy is far too small to be an autarchy.
—Robert Zubrin, National Review, 10 May 2021
David Marchesephotograph By Christopher Anderson/magnum, For The New York Times, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2022
But Russia’s economy is far too small to be an autarchy.
—Robert Zubrin, National Review, 10 May 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autarchy
Noun
-
Bashar al-Assad, who oversaw the torture and murder of hundreds of thousands of his fellow Syrians during a quarter century in power, may have achieved something new in the annals of tyranny.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
-
People, third and fourth generation Minnesotans were talking about tyranny.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This is not a dictatorship in the classic sense.—
Alejandro Reyes,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Mendonça was born in 1968, in the early years of a ruthless military dictatorship—a time when cinema, like much else, was harshly constrained.—
Stephania Taladrid,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Genocide, conspiracy, and fascism can and will happen here.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
-
That is really thuggish fascism.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Joy Neumeyer What do the far right’s fluctuating fortunes in Poland suggest about countries seeking an off-ramp from autocracy?—
Leah Downey,
The New York Review of Books,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Amodei’s essay covers a lot of ground, from existential threats to fighting autocracy to saving jobs.—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
His government was accused of authoritarianism, repression of the opposition and electoral manipulation.—
Jhasua Razo,
CNN Money,
24 Jan. 2026
-
The danger here is not merely authoritarianism.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Autarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autarchy. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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