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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of autocratic
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
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
See All Example Sentences for autocratic
Semafor Events, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for autocratic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autocratic
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
After being expelled from Brown University for sneaking a coed into his room, Turner came to Atlanta to work as an account executive for his domineering father’s billboard company, Turner Advertising.—
David Bauder,
Chicago Tribune,
6 May 2026
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After being expelled from Brown University, Turner came to Atlanta to work for his domineering father’s billboard company, Turner Advertising.—
David Bauder,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
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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Not even the pork choppers were as arrogant and scornful of voting rights as the current mob.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2026
-
Of course, David went on to build one of the most illustrious careers in television with characters who are often arrogant, petty and unlikable by traditional media standards.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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According to Sánchez Blanco, González López oversaw the machinery that allowed arbitrary arrests, torture and the defiance of judicial release orders to occur.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
11 May 2026
-
The day itself may be arbitrary, but the sentiment behind it is not.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
8 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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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 13 May. 2026.
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