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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of autocratic
Their intrepid and autocratic driver, Ian Stewart, stubbornly refused to make pit stops on long road trips so the guys could have a pee.
—
Literary Hub, 21 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
Vince still exerted autocratic control.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
The conflict exploded from a power struggle that emerged following Sudan’s transition to democracy after an uprising forced the military ouster of longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for autocratic
Literary Hub, 21 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
Vince still exerted autocratic control.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
The conflict exploded from a power struggle that emerged following Sudan’s transition to democracy after an uprising forced the military ouster of longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for autocratic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autocratic
Adjective
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Magyar—sitting in the front row, rewatching a film that had helped establish him as a global icon of anti-authoritarian resistance—was less than four days away from taking power.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
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Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Belarus’ authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko attended the festivities in the Russian capital.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 May 2026
Adjective
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The new biopic of Jackson from director Antoine Fuqua and the Jackson estate paints the gloved one as the one true victim — a harmless Peter Pan figure whose own childhood was snatched away by a domineering father.—
Marlow Stern,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Joseph has a cruel and domineering air about him.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Others are subjected to frequent rains and oppressive summer humidity.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
3 May 2026
-
An especially visually striking debut, Mosquitoes exists in a saturated hyperreality that is consummately engrossing, and announces the Bertani sisters as formidable portraitists of girlhood cast against the backdrop of an alternately beautiful and oppressive world.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The series has devolved into a hysteria that the young and arrogant Timberwolves feed on since that first quarter of Game 2.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
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However, many thought Tilson Thomas too brash and arrogant to lead an orchestra, and, around the same time, Tilson Thomas fell in with New York’s disco-hopping crowd.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The fundamental processes governing brain health — genetics, neural and synaptic plasticity, and neuroinflammation — do not respect the arbitrary boundaries drawn between neurology and psychiatry.—
Eric J. Nestler,
STAT,
28 Apr. 2026
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White-Jacket did cause a stir with its discussion of the arbitrary and cruel use of flogging in the US Navy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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Remarkably, among the foremost critics of Cuba’s single-party despotic rule is one of Castro’s own daughters, Alina Fernández Revuelta.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Joaquin Phoenix's villainous performance as the tyrannical emperor Commodus earned him an Academy Award nomination.—
Brendan Le,
PEOPLE,
5 May 2026
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At the same time, the list of what a child needs has become exhaustive and tyrannical.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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Leavitt also pointed to rhetoric from Democrats and others in the media, claiming that their rhetoric accusing the president of being a dictatorial figure contributed to an environment that inspired political violence.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Autocratic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocratic. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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