variants
also tsarism
or tzarism
as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
historically, during times of national crisis, people have looked to czarism as an answer to their fears
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of czarism
Like so many at the time, Paustovsky had hopes of a democratic future with the end of czarism.
—
Douglas Smith, WSJ, 13 Sep. 2022
The difference between czarism and Leninism is the one between absolutism and totalitarianism.
—Josef Joffe, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2017
With the collapse of czarism, this commitment to gradual reform and the development of parliamentary institutions seemed outdated.
—Carolyn Harris, Smithsonian, 13 Apr. 2017
Douglas Smith, WSJ, 13 Sep. 2022
The difference between czarism and Leninism is the one between absolutism and totalitarianism.
—Josef Joffe, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2017
With the collapse of czarism, this commitment to gradual reform and the development of parliamentary institutions seemed outdated.
—Carolyn Harris, Smithsonian, 13 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for czarism
Noun
-
The Declaration of Independence was meant to signal the rejection of tyranny and the empowerment of the individual to resist undue coercion.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
28 Jan. 2026
-
History does not record many cases in which a power-mad leader careening toward tyranny suddenly regained his senses and became more moderate.—
David Brooks,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
If all goes to hell and America devolves into a rank dictatorship, beware the bootlicker.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Edner migrated from Haiti in the late 1960s to escape the Duvalier dictatorship and build a better life for his four daughters and three sons.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The southern United States under the Jim Crow system of segregation, for example, was governed by a form of racial fascism premised not on a single powerful leader, but on decentralized groups of vigilantes and terrorists.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Jan. 2026
-
That is really thuggish fascism.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Czarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/czarism. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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