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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of autocracy
Keen observers of authoritarianism see the mass firing of civil servants as a way station on the road to autocracy.
—
Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 2 May 2025
Some Democrats warn that the U.S. is sliding toward autocracy – a system in which one leader holds unchecked power.
—Daniel Treisman, The Conversation, 3 June 2025
This capital city doesn't have the trappings of an autocracy.
—Leila Fadel, NPR, 29 May 2025
The president is no longer treating Israel like the indispensable nation in the Middle East or the lone democracy in a sea of autocracy.
—Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocracy
Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 2 May 2025
Some Democrats warn that the U.S. is sliding toward autocracy – a system in which one leader holds unchecked power.
—Daniel Treisman, The Conversation, 3 June 2025
This capital city doesn't have the trappings of an autocracy.
—Leila Fadel, NPR, 29 May 2025
The president is no longer treating Israel like the indispensable nation in the Middle East or the lone democracy in a sea of autocracy.
—Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 18 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
-
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
-
The backdrop of the Marcos dictatorship shaped her artistic approach, defined by an interest in quotidian experience—including everyday injustices such as gender inequality and the ecological exploitation of the Philippines by greedy conglomerates.—
Hung Duong,
Artforum,
18 June 2025
-
This brings me back to the conclusion that the Venezuelan dictatorship — perhaps Latin America’s biggest potential winner of a global oil price hike — along with Colombia and Mexico may get, at best, a brief respite if the Iran war disrupts world oil shipping lanes.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
Baker reaches from Virginia’s slaveholding history to the poet Ezra Pound’s deluded post–World War II fascism to the misogynistic trolls of Gamergate in her quest to understand Unite the Right.—
Book Marks
June 20,
Literary Hub,
20 June 2025
-
Seen as a metaphor for fascism, authoritarian threats and other abuses of power, the script has experienced a resurgence recently.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share