as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
the Magna Carta is historically important because it signified the British rejection of autocracy and constituted the first formal restraining of the power of the monarch
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of autocracy
These distinctions also reveal shifts in the same autocracy over time.
—
Elizabeth N. Saunders, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2025
The world is lurching toward autocracy, with alarming speed.
—Elisa Manfredini, Time, 14 June 2025
Iran has been unique among regional powers in its tendency to cultivate and arm allies abroad, and to aid those allies in their efforts in order to make trouble for incumbent autocracies, from Cairo to Baku to Sanaa.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 13 June 2025
Warnings of the fifth step on the road to autocracy, securing long-term power, come in Trump’s musing of seeking an unconstitutional third term as president.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocracy
Elizabeth N. Saunders, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2025
The world is lurching toward autocracy, with alarming speed.
—Elisa Manfredini, Time, 14 June 2025
Iran has been unique among regional powers in its tendency to cultivate and arm allies abroad, and to aid those allies in their efforts in order to make trouble for incumbent autocracies, from Cairo to Baku to Sanaa.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 13 June 2025
Warnings of the fifth step on the road to autocracy, securing long-term power, come in Trump’s musing of seeking an unconstitutional third term as president.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autocracy
Noun
-
This position does not mean in any way ignoring four decades of mismanagement, corruption, oppression, tyranny and incompetence of the Islamic Republic.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
18 June 2025
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Ever since America’s founders decided that the best way to prevent tyranny was to diffuse power across branches of government, those branches of government have competed for authority.—
Jacob Turcotte,
Christian Science Monitor,
17 June 2025
Noun
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But just as important to the Poles living under Soviet dictatorship were art books, fashion magazines, religious texts, lighthearted novels and regular newspapers.—
Valorie Castellanos Clark,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2025
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Nearly 50 years into an unwanted dictatorship, Iranians have developed a refined capacity for identifying bad faith.—
Shervin Malekzadeh,
Mercury News,
26 June 2025
Noun
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The New York Times selected it as a Notable Book of the Year in 1994, praising its examination of racial justice, climate collapse and fascism.—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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The inspiration comes from the fact that fascism and dictatorship didn’t end with World War II in reality either.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
27 June 2025
Noun
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Can that Huntington Beach teach the rest of us a thing — or thirty — not just about how to stand up to despotism, but how to beat it back?—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2025
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Now American culture bows down to Anna Wintour’s despotism.—
Armond White,
National Review,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Autocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocracy. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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