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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of autocracy
Researchers argued that career anxiety under autocracy creates both pro-regime henchmen and anti-regime plotters.
—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
For example, in the 1930s, four major democracies (Germany, Japan, Italy, and Spain) became autocracies.
—Ray Dalio, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
There’s a lot of different crumbs of what leads to the autocracy, to the potential dictatorship.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 12 Mar. 2026
Hopefully the majority of people who still wish to live in a free society will vote in November to overturn the Republican march away from freedom and to autocracy and fascism.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for autocracy
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
For example, in the 1930s, four major democracies (Germany, Japan, Italy, and Spain) became autocracies.
—Ray Dalio, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
There’s a lot of different crumbs of what leads to the autocracy, to the potential dictatorship.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 12 Mar. 2026
Hopefully the majority of people who still wish to live in a free society will vote in November to overturn the Republican march away from freedom and to autocracy and fascism.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for autocracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autocracy
Noun
-
The American public is dismayed and frustrated that Congress is not stepping up to protect our nation against the extreme tyranny of this administration.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
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Those divergent truths point to the sober reality that the vast majority of people who have existed on this planet lived under some form of tyranny.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Noun
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The filmmaker explores how Inés’ coming of age mirrors the lingering wounds of Chile’s political transition to democracy from the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet – a theme at the heart of Martelli’s feature debut Chile ’76, which premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
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Many had argued that the banner, which largely meditates on the violence of the Suharto dictatorship in Indonesia, contained antisemitic caricatures.—
Harrison Jacobs,
ARTnews.com,
12 May 2026
Noun
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Drawing on her everyday experiences as a single mother, her work addresses issues connected to the political domestication of women, authoritarianism and fascism, the patriarchy and capitalism.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
7 May 2026
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But these arrangements fell apart as fascism rose across Europe and Asia and regimes from Nazi Germany to Imperial Japan denounced their international legal obligations.—
Vivek Krishnamurthy,
The Conversation,
5 May 2026
Noun
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Eight decades later, as nations inch toward despotism, an art animated by democratic impulses makes a stronger case for itself.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
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The hope is that the institutional reforms started by the interim administration of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus deliver the necessary checks and balances to avert another lurch toward despotism.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The young Forster recoiled from the school’s culture of authoritarianism and militaristic chauvinism, which may have found expression in the students’ often appalling attitudes toward their own mothers.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
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Drawing on her everyday experiences as a single mother, her work addresses issues connected to the political domestication of women, authoritarianism and fascism, the patriarchy and capitalism.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Autocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocracy. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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