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
-
So concluded one of the finest chapters in our history, as the United States saved Western Europe from a diabolical tyranny.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
1 May 2026
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In How to Be a Dissident, Beckerman draws on the stories of dissidents from around the globe and across time, to provide models for pushing back against tyranny.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Anti-dictatorship, but for kids Serkis scrubs the story of its violence, at least in any graphic manner.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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In a nation that has long prided itself on a free and vibrant news media, rights watchdogs and lawmakers from across the political spectrum denounced the move as an attack on the press without precedent since the end of Argentina’s military dictatorship in 1983.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
Widespread cynicism helps authoritarianism thrive.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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While supporters credit the movement with restoring stability and defeating the Shining Path, critics associate it with authoritarianism, corruption, and human rights abuses.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Autocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocracy. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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