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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of autocratic
Platforms delegate the illusion of control and trade on a libertarian myth to obscure the autocratic reality.
—
Literary Hub, 28 May 2026
Magyar, whose center-right Tisza party defeated far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his nationalist-populist Fidesz in an earthquake election last month, has vowed to dismantle the political and economic system his autocratic predecessor spent 16 years building.
—ABC News, 18 May 2026
Hungary's Péter Magyar took his oath of office on Saturday to become the country's new prime minister, ending Viktor Orbán's 16 years of autocratic rule.
—CBS News, 9 May 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for autocratic
Literary Hub, 28 May 2026
Magyar, whose center-right Tisza party defeated far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his nationalist-populist Fidesz in an earthquake election last month, has vowed to dismantle the political and economic system his autocratic predecessor spent 16 years building.
—ABC News, 18 May 2026
Hungary's Péter Magyar took his oath of office on Saturday to become the country's new prime minister, ending Viktor Orbán's 16 years of autocratic rule.
—CBS News, 9 May 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for autocratic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autocratic
Adjective
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The death of Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei stunned Iranians, many of whom had never known anything but his authoritarian leadership.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
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Our research suggests that activists seeking to protect American democracy from authoritarian influences are pursuing a failing strategy.—
Scott Warren,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
Adjective
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Musk’s company has inked lucrative AI deals with Anthropic and Google and plans to be the domineering firm behind orbital data centers, which SpaceX has said could be deployed as early as 2028.—
Antonio Pequeño IV,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
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Many figures within evangelicalism have promoted an aggressive, domineering, even abusive view of manhood—affixing to it, as Du Mez argues, the label biblical.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
Adjective
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After the Boston Tea Party, the British government cracked down on the colonies with a series of oppressive laws known as the Intolerable Acts.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2026
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Outside the stadium, protesters clashed over Iran’s oppressive regime and its place in the tournament as players vowed to rise above politics and unite Iranians through soccer.—
Iliana Limón Romero,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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The two roles underline the actor’s formidable versatility, all skittish panic in the former and arrogant sociopathy in the other.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
13 June 2026
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Washington State’s beauty is almost arrogant in its expansiveness.—
C Pam Zhang,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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The anniversary feels arbitrary to Tran, a math teacher.—
Terry Tang,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
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And not simply the tariff policies, but the arbitrary on and off nature of them.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Adjective
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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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The bony villain is a warlock who stole the throne of Eternia from King Randor and now rules it with a tyrannical fist.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 June 2026
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Independence for the 13 colonies was in the interest of anyone, anywhere, who believed the only remedy for tyrannical authority was for people to govern themselves.—
Michael Kazin,
The Atlantic,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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As pointed out by Cox, Zagallo was only brought in as manager in the March of 1970 after his predecessor, Saldanha, had fallen out with Brazil’s dictatorial president Emilio Medici.—
Will Jeanes,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Autocratic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocratic. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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