variants
also autocratical
1
as in authoritarian
exercising power or authority without interference by others
democracy is supposed to protect the people against the rise of autocratic rulers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in domineering
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
Rácz has been interpreted as a foil to Vladimír Mečiar, a real-life politician who served as Slovakia’s prime minister between 1990 and 1998 and was heavily criticized for his autocratic tendencies, strongman persona, and ties to organized crime.
—
Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026
The authority’s popularity has been weakened by corruption and autocratic rule, its failure to establish an independent state while Israel expands West Bank settlements, and divisions with Hamas.
—Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
The country was once very free online, remarkable given President Vladimir Putin’s autocratic rule, but more recently access to global messaging apps has been restricted and the internet has been completely shut down at times as Moscow has sought to silence criticism.
—Semafor Events, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
In 1998, opponents forced Indonesia’s long-time autocratic president and former general Muhammad Suharto from power.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for autocratic
Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026
The authority’s popularity has been weakened by corruption and autocratic rule, its failure to establish an independent state while Israel expands West Bank settlements, and divisions with Hamas.
—Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
The country was once very free online, remarkable given President Vladimir Putin’s autocratic rule, but more recently access to global messaging apps has been restricted and the internet has been completely shut down at times as Moscow has sought to silence criticism.
—Semafor Events, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
In 1998, opponents forced Indonesia’s long-time autocratic president and former general Muhammad Suharto from power.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for autocratic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autocratic
Adjective
-
Regardless of why Americans express neutrality, those who do so are just as likely to vote for authoritarian politicians as the relatively small number of Americans (less than 1 in 5) who explicitly support undemocratic practices.—
Matthew E.K. Hall,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
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Safety regulations – intended to constrain corporate power – in authoritarian regimes become tools to coerce compliance.—
Michael Gregory,
The Conversation,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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Among those acolytes is Lucien (Jérémy Gillet), a reedy, repressed young virgin who yearns to be part of the gay community but hasn’t the courage to come out to his domineering mother Christine (Elisabeth Wiener), who also just happens to be the country’s very right-wing health minister.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
23 May 2026
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Down at the bottom of the hierarchy, or really not ranked at all, is Lucien (Jérémy Gillet), a fey and cosseted twink of privilege who longs to meet Jim but is kept at home, safely away from anything gay, by his domineering mother.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
Adjective
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The dialogue is well-crafted, the Southern atmosphere (Atlanta doubling Savannah, with Savannah here and there standing for itself) suitably oppressive.—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
Dew points above 65 degrees indicate a high level of moisture in the air, making the heat oppressive.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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The tension between the two boils over into a confrontation which only Eisenhower can adjudicate, a task complicated by his own arrogant British subordinate, a wiry and dislikable General Bernard Montgomery - played with a villainous verve bordering on the pantomime by Damian Lewis.—
Daniel Jonah Wolpert,
NPR,
29 May 2026
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Public policy decisions always need to strive for middle ground, and those leadership decisions often referred to as arrogant can just as easily be called principled leadership.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
23 May 2026
Adjective
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Given that, the court concluded that forcing UCAR to give up its supercomputing center was arbitrary and capricious, and thus violated the Administrative Procedures Act.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 June 2026
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More people know about arbitrary arrests and imprisonments.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Academy rules work for countries with democratic governments but not for countries with despotic regimes.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
4 May 2026
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Hard to Be a God is about a planet that has not been allowed to advance beyond the Middle Ages, and descended into a filthy, despotic, and violent world.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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However, to embrace his destiny Adam must become He-Man, return to his home planet, reclaim the Sword of Power and save his people from the tyrannical Skeletor.—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
1 June 2026
-
And intrusion by Sacramento lawmakers is nothing short of tyrannical.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Adjective
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Yet, the courage and determination of lawyers who insist upon proper enforcement of the law, even in corrupt and dictatorial regimes, stand as their own form of powerful dissent.—
Irwin Cotler,
Time,
8 May 2026
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The group parted ways after a 1967 European tour, in part due to Phil Spector’s increasingly dictatorial oversight of their releases.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Autocratic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocratic. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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