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
Both would be peace efforts – but Trump is well known to praise these autocrats.
—
Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Most of the countries represented at the summit were represented by autocrats of one or other description—such as Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian and Belarus’s Aleksandr Lukashenko.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 2 Sep. 2025
Responses that, early on, can feel pragmatic—waiting it out, remaining silent, cutting a deal—only embolden autocrats, leading ultimately to the demise of democracy itself.
—Daniel Ziblatt, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2025
If not, aggressive autocrats around the world could learn that violating the sovereignty of weaker neighbors pays off.
—Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
And the courts, one of our best places to fight these autocrats, could quickly run out of money.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
As Carol continues her search for Daryl stateside, the scraggly drifter finds himself on the wrong side of French autocrats while protecting a young boy (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) and a nun (Clémence Poésy), who are trying to flee a religious cult that believes the young man is their messiah.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Repressive autocrats around the world know this full well.
—Eli Amdur, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
While Kyiv wrestles to persuade waffling Western leaders, Russia is building a coalition of autocrats to fortify the Kremlin’s war effort.
—Ihor N. Stelmach, Hartford Courant, 22 Feb. 2025
Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Most of the countries represented at the summit were represented by autocrats of one or other description—such as Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian and Belarus’s Aleksandr Lukashenko.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 2 Sep. 2025
Responses that, early on, can feel pragmatic—waiting it out, remaining silent, cutting a deal—only embolden autocrats, leading ultimately to the demise of democracy itself.
—Daniel Ziblatt, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2025
If not, aggressive autocrats around the world could learn that violating the sovereignty of weaker neighbors pays off.
—Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
And the courts, one of our best places to fight these autocrats, could quickly run out of money.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
As Carol continues her search for Daryl stateside, the scraggly drifter finds himself on the wrong side of French autocrats while protecting a young boy (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) and a nun (Clémence Poésy), who are trying to flee a religious cult that believes the young man is their messiah.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Repressive autocrats around the world know this full well.
—Eli Amdur, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
While Kyiv wrestles to persuade waffling Western leaders, Russia is building a coalition of autocrats to fortify the Kremlin’s war effort.
—Ihor N. Stelmach, Hartford Courant, 22 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autocrats
Noun
-
Across centuries, rulers who built their power on fear or oppression seemed immovable in their day.—
John Hope Bryant,
Time,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Writers and rulers across Europe and the Americas have looked back to Virgil’s epic as a model for their own founding myths, in the construction of new nations, new colonies, new empires.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Some of the most common species, like monarchs, are still present, but in far fewer numbers.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
6 Aug. 2025
-
The zoo participates in conservation efforts by tagging monarchs and reporting sightings to track their migration.—
Madalyn Mendoza,
Axios,
21 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Autocrats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocrats. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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