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
Elsewhere, particularly in autocracies, the data is simply too unreliable to use.
—
Duncan Madden, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Even as a large Muslim autocracy in the Middle East weathering the boom and bust of the oil market, Iran wasn’t unique.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Simply put, America needs to remain a democracy and not become an autocracy.
—Norman Siegel, New York Daily News, 20 July 2025
One autocracy was over, another was just beginning.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocracy
Duncan Madden, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Even as a large Muslim autocracy in the Middle East weathering the boom and bust of the oil market, Iran wasn’t unique.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Simply put, America needs to remain a democracy and not become an autocracy.
—Norman Siegel, New York Daily News, 20 July 2025
One autocracy was over, another was just beginning.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autocracy
Noun
-
The tyranny of any minority cannot and must not be allowed to stifle discussion and rule over our land.—
Newsweek Contributors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Though officially prohibited, Western movies, music and television circulated widely as contraband and highlighted themes like resistance to tyranny and the moral superiority of the West.—
Ilan Berman,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In 1979, when Chile was under the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, 19-year-old Soto gave birth to the twin girls in the coastal town of Hualpén in Biobío province.—
Rafael Romo,
CNN Money,
16 Sep. 2025
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The police and the prosecutor’s office, faithful tools of the dictatorship, captured 13 businessmen in just a few hours, including two who had come to negotiate at Casa Presidencial.—
Óscar Martínez & Carlos Martínez,
The Dial,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
At a time when contentious words dominate our conversations—think insurrection and fascism and fake news and woke—the need for dictionaries to chronicle and explain language, and serve as its watchdog, has never been greater.—
Stefan Fatsis,
The Atlantic,
13 Sep. 2025
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The game has been viewed as a tongue in cheek critique of military dictatorships, with references to fascism and colonialism.—
Dan Gooding
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Bashar Assad regime’s collapse inspired a wave of optimism about despotism turning into democracy.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Aug. 2025
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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
Noun
-
And when liberalism seems weak and people are impatient for change, authoritarianism or anarchism can seem suitable alternatives to many.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Sep. 2025
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Key components of authoritarianism include rejecting democratic rules; denying the legitimacy of opponents; tolerating or encouraging political violence; and curtailing the civil liberties of opponents.—
Karrin Vasby Anderson,
The Conversation,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Autocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocracy. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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