variants
also autocratical
1
as in oppressive
exercising power or authority without interference by others
democracy is supposed to protect the people against the rise of autocratic rulers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in authoritarian
fond of ordering people around
an autocratic Boy Scout leader who is under the delusion that he's still an army colonel
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of autocratic
That's very different than any past president would have acted toward a pro-Western, democratic ally that was invaded by a larger, autocratic regime.
—
Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 30 Apr. 2025
All talk of playbooks aside, an autocratic breakthrough is not something that any leader can order up at will, by following the same ten easy steps.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Vitruvius’s Ten Books on Architecture was not only a manual of the building arts but a treatise on how to extend and consolidate the Roman Empire, and lent itself all too well to the autocratic ambitions of Renaissance princes.
—Ingrid D. Rowland, The New York Review of Books, 24 Apr. 2025
But as Russia amped up its aggression in Ukraine, China made clear its designs on Taiwan, and the two autocratic powers deepened their ties and collaborated more closely with other U.S. rivals, few predicted that Washington would abandon competition as its guiding light.
—Stacie E. Goddard, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocratic
Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 30 Apr. 2025
All talk of playbooks aside, an autocratic breakthrough is not something that any leader can order up at will, by following the same ten easy steps.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Vitruvius’s Ten Books on Architecture was not only a manual of the building arts but a treatise on how to extend and consolidate the Roman Empire, and lent itself all too well to the autocratic ambitions of Renaissance princes.
—Ingrid D. Rowland, The New York Review of Books, 24 Apr. 2025
But as Russia amped up its aggression in Ukraine, China made clear its designs on Taiwan, and the two autocratic powers deepened their ties and collaborated more closely with other U.S. rivals, few predicted that Washington would abandon competition as its guiding light.
—Stacie E. Goddard, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocratic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autocratic
Adjective
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That this sincere notion dovetails with an itch to vacate her dour, oppressive home only adds to her determination.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
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To be sure, Florida had its attractions, one of which was the sunny weather, although air conditioning was still rare at the time, and the heat and humidity could be oppressive for much of the year.—
Greg Daugherty,
Smithsonian Magazine,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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From 2019 to 2020, the authoritarian petrostate paid $115,000 a month to now–Attorney General Pam Bondi and her firm to lobby on its behalf.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2025
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Orwell authored 1984, a bleak vision of the future where an authoritarian regime weaponizes language to suppress independent thought and rewrite history.—
Jason Snyder,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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Or whether the foundations are strong and imperious enough to uphold the £1billion ($1.3bn) industry promise fans are being pitched?—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
13 May 2025
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Johnson, an ultra-ambitious Texas Democrat but a junior House member of the House Naval Affairs Committee (which became the House Armed Services Committee after World War II), correctly surmised the panel’s imperious chairman, Georgia Democrat Carl Vinson, wasn’t going anywhere.—
David Mark,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Photo: Obscured Pictures Building the world of the film also meant drawing on all manner of cultural references—from the depths of the Vice News YouTube channel to an early ’00s documentary about American Apparel and its despotic CEO, Dov Charney, that Ulman sent to Simon Rex.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
2 May 2025
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In these ways, Trump’s despotic acts are indeed without precedent in American history.—
Patrick Eddington,
Oc Register,
20 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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For example, when a man in his sixties talks about the same thing, he’s seen as calm and logical, but when a woman in her twenties talks about it, she’s seen as arrogant or trying to act mature.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
15 May 2025
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By losing some of its arrogant charm, Doom has also lost the means to back it up.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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Coupled with his hateful rhetoric, threats, lies, erratic policies, trampling of the Constitution and abnormal fascination with childish superlatives, tyrannical figures and Soviet-era style military parades, there’s much to be concerned about.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2025
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The Wolves rose up and defeated the tyrannical FEDRA, forcing them to abandon the quarantine zone.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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With a versatile and emotionally resonant voice, he’s known for delivering the smooth sophistication of jazz and the commanding presence needed for authoritative reads.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
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When executed well, a strong content strategy creates a consistent, authoritative presence that builds both trust and familiarity, inviting potential clients to take the next step.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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Compared with Russia’s dictatorial tsarist and communist eras and its chaotic decade after the Soviet Union fell, the country had never been so prosperous and so free at the same time.—
ALEXANDER GABUEV,
Foreign Affairs,
17 Apr. 2025
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Fortunately, the courts have so far blocked this dictatorial impulse.—
Steven Greenhut,
Orange County Register,
16 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Autocratic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocratic. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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