Synonyms of autocrats

autocrats

noun

plural of autocrat

as in rulers

one who rules over a people with a sole, supreme, and usually hereditary authority

European autocrats once commonly believed that they had received the right to rule directly from God

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rulers
• monarchs
• kings
• emperors
• sovereigns
• potentates
• princes
• queens
• dictators
• tyrants
• emirs
• overlords
• Caesars
• sultans
• empresses
• despots
• satraps
• czars
• moguls
• lords
• shahs
• khans
• authoritarians
• suzerains
• Big Brothers
• kaisers
• corulers
• führers
• mikados
• khedives
• monocrats
• paramounts

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of autocrats

The regional order rested on American security guarantees not only to Arab states but also, critically, to the autocrats who sat atop them. — Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Typically reserved for autocrats and crime bosses, sanctions can be devastating. — ABC News, 14 July 2026

Conquerors and autocrats may win the immediate battle by bullying their subjects into submission, but their empires inevitably crumble the moment their iron grip falters. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 24 June 2026

Trump has made clear his disdain for NATO, his affection for Putin, gushes over autocrats, and withholds military support for Ukraine. — Arthur House, Hartford Courant, 15 June 2026

Almost overnight, countries that had long outsourced their energy security to autocrats found their supplies cut, and their economies shaken. — Jennifer Granholm, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026

Even as long-reigning autocrats such as Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are removed from power, the outlook for the global state of democracy remains highly uncertain. — Yana Gorokhovskaia, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2026

Trump’s attacks may have raised some doubts in China that Xi’s backing of autocrats is wise. — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026

These autocrats have watched and learned as Erdoğan has scapegoated various rival groups in his country, branding them shadowy forces unleashed by the American philanthropist George Soros. — Kaya Genç, The Dial, 3 Feb. 2026