as in ruler
one who rules over a people with a sole, supreme, and usually hereditary authority
European autocrats once commonly believed that they had received the right to rule directly from God
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Recent Examples of autocrat
The lurch from declaring fears about Iran to be mere media exaggerations to invoking imminent threat, from demanding the Nobel Peace Prize to luxuriating in lethality, is the essence of the autocrat’s monopoly on unpredictability.
—
Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026
Even as long-reigning autocrats such as Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are removed from power, the outlook for the global state of democracy remains highly uncertain.
—Yana Gorokhovskaia, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2026
And Barack Obama deployed the military to take out Libyan autocrat Muammar Gaddafi.
—Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
Bangladesh votes on Thursday in the first election since a Gen Z rebellion toppled an ageing autocrat – an uprising tens of millions of young people dreamt could chart a new course for their country.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for autocrat
Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026
Even as long-reigning autocrats such as Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are removed from power, the outlook for the global state of democracy remains highly uncertain.
—Yana Gorokhovskaia, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2026
And Barack Obama deployed the military to take out Libyan autocrat Muammar Gaddafi.
—Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
Bangladesh votes on Thursday in the first election since a Gen Z rebellion toppled an ageing autocrat – an uprising tens of millions of young people dreamt could chart a new course for their country.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for autocrat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autocrat
Noun
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The ensuing rulers, the Joseon monarchy, did their predecessors one better.—
Lori Waxman,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Skipping that meeting and quitting OPEC at the same time will be seen as a snub to Saudi’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His wife, Camilla, formerly the Duchess of Cornwall, became the Queen Consort, at the request of the former monarch.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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King Charles is also scheduled to address Congress, marking only the second time a British monarch has delivered remarks to a joint meeting, after Queen Elizabeth II’s address in 1991, according to The Associated Press.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Autocrat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocrat. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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