autocracy

noun

ȯ-ˈtä-krə-sē How to pronounce autocracy (audio)
Definition of autocracynext
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

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 International experts have denounced President Faustin-Archange Touadera’s repression of the opposition and push to eliminate term limits as worrisome turns toward autocracy. — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026 The Ostrich Army spoke of the impending incursion as the advent of jackboot autocracy, but plans to resist it seemed more equivocal. — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026 Bluster and bravado are big parts of the playbook for North Korea, an isolated and oft-sanctioned autocracy that the Kim family has ruled since 1948. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 22 Sep. 2026 This would eventually lead to the overthrow of the tsarist autocracy and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy. — James Folta, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for autocracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autocracy
  1. tyranny
  2. dictatorship
  3. fascism
  4. despotism
  5. authoritarianism
Noun
  • The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the right to keep and bear arms as a safeguard against tyranny and for personal security.
    — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 4 Nov. 2026
  • All men recognize the right of revolution; that is, the right to refuse allegiance to, and to resist, the government, when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of tyranny
Noun
  • The first project is about the disappearance of petty criminal El Nani (aka Santiago Correla) in 1980s Spain during the country’s transition out of dictatorship and into democracy.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Nixon had called Cuba a dictatorship prior to the interview, and has repeated that position since.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of dictatorship
Noun
  • But that belies what many critics have decried as authoritarian actions by this administration, and these comparisons with fascism continue to animate public discourse.
    — Matthew N. Hannah, The Conversation, 30 Oct. 2026
  • There’s cheering approval for Adolf Hitler and fascism in general.
    — Nathan Taylor Pemberton, Vanity Fair, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of fascism
Noun
  • Fed up with Shockley’s managerial despotism, Noyce—along with seven colleagues, who became known as the Traitorous Eight—defected to found a rival firm, Fairchild Semiconductor, and then defected again to found Intel.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The nation which will not adopt an equilibrium of power must adopt a despotism.
    — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
Definition of despotism
Noun
  • Look at Brazil, which has come back from the brink of a return to authoritarianism only because the crimes of even a former president like Jair Bolsonaro were duly investigated, laid bare for the public, and the perpetrator punished.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Voting is the only way out for anyone who’s unhappy with a government headed toward authoritarianism.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of authoritarianism

Browse Nearby Words

autochthons
autocracy
autocrat
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Cite this Entry

“Autocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocracy. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on autocracy

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about autocracy

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