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
The United States and Europe, puzzlingly, back Turkey's strongman, enabling the emergence of a new, full-fledged autocracy on Europe's periphery.
—
Jesse Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025
Michael Douglas spoke out against the risks of autocracy in the U.S. and touted the benefits of democracy during a press conference at the 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) in the Czech Republic on Saturday.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 5 July 2025
While this is a global phenomenon, our American political version is especially theatrical, featuring a President who is tipping democracy toward autocracy, a functioning economy toward recession and a diverse society toward culture war.
—Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Obama warns America ‘dangerously close’ to slipping into autocracy | RISING
Robby Soave and Niall Stanage react to new commentary from former President Obama warning about the future of American Democracy.
—The Hill, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocracy
Jesse Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025
Michael Douglas spoke out against the risks of autocracy in the U.S. and touted the benefits of democracy during a press conference at the 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) in the Czech Republic on Saturday.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 5 July 2025
While this is a global phenomenon, our American political version is especially theatrical, featuring a President who is tipping democracy toward autocracy, a functioning economy toward recession and a diverse society toward culture war.
—Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Obama warns America ‘dangerously close’ to slipping into autocracy | RISING
Robby Soave and Niall Stanage react to new commentary from former President Obama warning about the future of American Democracy.
—The Hill, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autocracy
Noun
-
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose own family fled Cuba, surely understands the desperation that drives people to seek refuge from tyranny.—
Arlene Marcus,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Aug. 2025
-
Had any Democratic president tried to so directly politicize these independent agencies Republicans would be screaming about the coming tyranny.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
10 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Instead, the Islamic Republic survives as a massively unpopular dictatorship, economically ruined, internationally isolated, and battered by both the U.S. and Israel.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
5 Aug. 2025
-
This, in turn spawned totalitarian dictatorships and led to World War II.—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
29 July 2025
Noun
-
Stephen Graybill performs this audiobook with the skill of a newscaster who’s recounting revelation upon revelation about the spies on both sides of the war (and the Atlantic) who were using their skills to urge Americans to join the desperate struggle against fascism, or not.—
AudioFile Magazine
July 31,
Literary Hub,
31 July 2025
-
Colbert has consistently called out Donald Trump and slammed the media’s growing cowardice in the face of fascism.—
Lizz Winstead,
Rolling Stone,
25 July 2025
Noun
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If not for our nation’s First Amendment, our country could quickly resemble a despotism where police forces attack reporters and quash news reports that diverge from the official view.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
15 July 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Autocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocracy. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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