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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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
Lenin, Stalin and their epigones, despite their ideological rejection of czarism, acted as de facto Great Russian imperialists in assembling the Soviet Union and maintaining it by brute force.
—George Weigel, WSJ, 27 Jan. 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the collapse of czarism, this commitment to gradual reform and the development of parliamentary institutions seemed outdated.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
Lenin, Stalin and their epigones, despite their ideological rejection of czarism, acted as de facto Great Russian imperialists in assembling the Soviet Union and maintaining it by brute force.
—George Weigel, WSJ, 27 Jan. 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the collapse of czarism, this commitment to gradual reform and the development of parliamentary institutions seemed outdated.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
-
This position does not mean in any way ignoring four decades of mismanagement, corruption, oppression, tyranny and incompetence of the Islamic Republic.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
18 June 2025
-
Ever since America’s founders decided that the best way to prevent tyranny was to diffuse power across branches of government, those branches of government have competed for authority.—
Jacob Turcotte,
Christian Science Monitor,
17 June 2025
Noun
-
The backdrop of the Marcos dictatorship shaped her artistic approach, defined by an interest in quotidian experience—including everyday injustices such as gender inequality and the ecological exploitation of the Philippines by greedy conglomerates.—
Hung Duong,
Artforum,
18 June 2025
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This brings me back to the conclusion that the Venezuelan dictatorship — perhaps Latin America’s biggest potential winner of a global oil price hike — along with Colombia and Mexico may get, at best, a brief respite if the Iran war disrupts world oil shipping lanes.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Czarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/czarism. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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