variants also autocratical
Definition of autocraticnext
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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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autocratic
Adjective
  • Satrapi shows us that under authoritarian rule, exile is experienced not only in leaving home, but in the slow erosion of the self from within.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 June 2026
  • Building the capacity of governments, especially authoritarian ones, to manage migration and contain refugees is not an inherent global good.
    Kelsey Norman, The Conversation, 18 June 2026
Adjective
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • The passage is incoherent, yet, in conflating progressive reform with arrogant blind faith, it is perfectly suited to Vance’s cynical conservatism.
    Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 19 June 2026
  • To no one’s surprise, Bonnie is immediately transfixed by her Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee, whose arrogant smarm effectively threads the needle between Maya Hawke’s Anxiety and Regina George’s everything else).
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 16 June 2026
Adjective
  • For at least a decade, federal agents followed guidelines designed to prevent arbitrary civil immigration arrests of people at courthouses.
    Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 24 June 2026
  • Some media outlets, however, reported that some of those detained were politicians or activists, leading to allegations of arbitrary detentions.
    ABC News, ABC News, 23 June 2026
Adjective
  • The pretence of an absolute, irresistible, despotic power, existing in every government somewhere, is incompatible with the first principle of natural right.
    Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
  • The Academy rules work for countries with democratic governments but not for countries with despotic regimes.
    Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 4 May 2026
Adjective
  • This dooms the kingdom to the tyrannical rule of the villainous Priscilla (Nikki Glaser), who swoops in and snatches the throne.
    Kevin Giraud, Variety, 23 June 2026
  • 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
Adjective
  • 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, 20 June 2026
  • 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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Cite this Entry

“Autocratic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocratic. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.

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