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
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Recent Examples of autocrats
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
The book examines the worst acts of autocrats and tyrannical leaders dating back centuries.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
The central question is whether the rise of autocrats is reversible.
—Max Hastings, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
The strategic logic mirrors survival patterns of past regional autocrats.
—Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Arab autocrats, Iran’s mullahs, and Putin cracked down viciously.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
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
The book examines the worst acts of autocrats and tyrannical leaders dating back centuries.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
The central question is whether the rise of autocrats is reversible.
—Max Hastings, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
The strategic logic mirrors survival patterns of past regional autocrats.
—Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Arab autocrats, Iran’s mullahs, and Putin cracked down viciously.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autocrats
Noun
-
The inscriptions include his throne, birth names of the Pharaoh, who is also known as Sesostris III, and was one of the most prominent rulers of Egypt’s Middle Kingdom.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 June 2026
-
Olivia Rodrigo, Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber, BTS superstar Jung Kook and South Korean girl group Blackpink have all amassed a trio of rulers thus far, and any of them may score one more soon, changing this order again.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
This tour walks the trail blazed by Cathy Aguado, who discovered the monarchs’ overwintering site in 1975.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
6 June 2026
-
The pope, known as León XIV in Spanish, opened his weeklong trip in Madrid, greeted at the airport by the country’s Catholic monarchs, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Autocrats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocrats. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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