AUTOCRATICAL Synonyms: 101 Similar and Opposite Words

autocratic

adjective

ˌȯ-tə-ˈkra-tik

variants also autocratical

Definition of autocratic

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of autocratic Elections were still routinely held, largely free from undue burdens or autocratic manipulation. — Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026 Roberts’s opinion took no heed of the current President’s autocratic impulses. — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 His government has promised political and economic reform after decades of autocratic rule under the Assad family. — Abdulrahman Shaheen, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026 My answer focuses on the role of autocratic political elites – that is, the party officials, military officers and other regime insiders who control the state. — José Kaire, The Conversation, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for autocratic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for autocratic

Adjective

The Bulwark founder on how to build a coalition durable enough to defeat authoritarian populism.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
On the one hand, the film pays witness to all the authoritarian insanity unfolding at state houses around the country.

— Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of authoritarian

Adjective

She’s played with a darkly enigmatic, unnerving quality by James in her finest work to date — a knowing, even domineering smile often curling around her lips.

— Tomris Laffly, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Rebecca Hall, playing his elegantly domineering wife, gets even less.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of domineering

Adjective

There’s always another internet grift for someone looking to save himself fast, and without any gimmicky visual intrusions, the film feels authentically tuned into the aspirational mentality and oppressive reality of contemporary social media.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 15 Sep. 2026
Amid an oppressive stretch of extreme heat and Florida-esque humidity that has been punishing much of California, consider, for a moment, the Ice Age.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of oppressive

Adjective

Everybody on our side understands that impeachment is a critical tool in the toolbox for constitutional self-defense against a president acting like a king, an imperious, lawless, arrogant king.

— NBC news, NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026
Most obviously, front and center, and in endlessly intrusive close-up, there’s Pattinson — who also serves as producer — playing the arrogant, fame-addicted, megalomaniac Hansen.

— Jessica Kiang, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of arrogant

Adjective

The economists suggest the tax rules are arbitrary and unfair.

— Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 14 Sep. 2026
Ware pointed to a resilient economy and steady core inflation, arguing that stocks would be more vulnerable to a slowdown in either consumer spending or artificial-intelligence investment than to the 10-year crossing an arbitrary threshold.

— Sean Conlon,Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of arbitrary

Adjective

Any transgression of new standards of speech and behavior could put someone at risk of social banishment, in the truly despotic shape of cancellation.

— Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
The comedy of errors that follows as Ina attempts to solve the nation’s problems, from traffic congestion to energy crisis, doubles as a critique of the despotic regime and the tumult of living in such hellish times.

— Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of despotic

Adjective

With Carrie’s mom no longer the same abusive, tyrannical figure of King’s book, Sloyan focused on the undying love of a mother for a daughter.

— Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
Women becoming doctors and professors know the difference between a free society and a tyrannical society.

— Caroline Linton, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of tyrannical

Adjective

Standing before her guards, the increasingly dictatorial ruler proclaims herself as the Chosen One to the people of King's Landing.

— Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
In 2024, Margo is hired to find the book that disappeared, along with many others, through the dictatorial years.

— The Know, Denver Post, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of dictatorial

Browse Nearby Words

autocrat

autocratic

autocrats

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Autocratic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocratic. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of autocratic

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

churlish

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes