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

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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 third step of his plan, for instance, calls for coordination between democratic governments and authoritarian governments.

— Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026
Can liberal reformers unwind authoritarian state capture without, themselves, engaging in at least a little bit of illiberalism?

— Will Freeman, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of authoritarian

Adjective

Sources said Gunning plays Annie, a quietly dutiful wife who has sacrificed her ambitions to raise four sons under her domineering husband, Duncan.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026
Fern proves himself as a true actor’s director, offering plum roles to Paulson, Watts and two-time Oscar winner Dianne Wiest as their chaotic and domineering mother.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of domineering

Adjective

The investigation into Toro follows a complaint from Bigelow that alleges the workplace culture under Toro’s leadership is characterized as oppressive, bullying and fearful, according to the complaint.

— Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026
In its opening episodes, the series carefully distinguishes Lizzie from her male killer counterparts while highlighting the oppressive conditions women faced in the era.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 17 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

He was convicted of four counts of war crimes including murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026
Human rights groups and United Nations officials have accused the Syrian government of widespread abuses in its detention facilities, including torture and arbitrary detention of thousands of people, in many cases without informing their families.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 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

Her little acts of rebellion towards her tyrannical teachers attract the admiration of three other misfits and the four girls form an inseparable group.

— Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026
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

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

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

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Synonyms of autocratic

adjective

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