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
Guineans on Sunday voted in a presidential election widely expected to hand Mamady Doumbouya, who seized power in a coup in 2021, a seven-year term, cementing the autocrat’s rule in the West African nation.
—
semafor.com, 29 Dec. 2025
Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian autocrat, sent Kast effusive congratulations.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2025
This is the dimension in which the United States has the most potential wherewithal to unsettle the autocrats.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
His latest book, Slow Poison, focuses on the making of the Ugandan state post British colonialism and the two autocrats that largely shaped it.
—Leila Fadel, NPR, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocrat
semafor.com, 29 Dec. 2025
Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian autocrat, sent Kast effusive congratulations.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2025
This is the dimension in which the United States has the most potential wherewithal to unsettle the autocrats.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
His latest book, Slow Poison, focuses on the making of the Ugandan state post British colonialism and the two autocrats that largely shaped it.
—Leila Fadel, NPR, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocrat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autocrat
Noun
-
The people disembarked the out-of-service Baathist train and are waiting for the trains the new rulers promised them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Jobson suggested that Andrew could move overseas, following King Charles' recent meeting with the ruler of Bahrain.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The latter event is purely ceremonial and marks the beginning of a parliamentary session, which cannot begin until the monarch gives his or her speech.—
Emma Banks,
InStyle,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Going back to the early years of the Revolution, Washington occupied the position left vacant by the English monarch, one George succeeding another.—
Jake Lundberg,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Autocrat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocrat. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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