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the collapse of czarism, this commitment to gradual reform and the development of parliamentary institutions seemed outdated.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the collapse of czarism, this commitment to gradual reform and the development of parliamentary institutions seemed outdated.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 new Constitution’s supporters, known as Federalists, faced fierce opposition from Anti-Federalists who charged that a powerful national government, unrestrained by a bill of rights, would inevitably lead to tyranny.—
Donald Nieman,
The Conversation,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Males that tried to rule by asserting their dominance through violence, tyranny and threat did not last.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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If the Supreme Court officially makes the chief executive a unitary executive, the advancement of the public good may depend on little more than the whims of the president, a state of affairs normally more characteristic of dictatorship than democracy.—
Graham G. Dodds,
The Conversation,
7 Oct. 2025
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The exec emphasized his excitement about being in the country a few months after Salles’ history-making drama about Brazil’s military dictatorship, a film that also scored nominations for best picture and actress for Fernanda Torres.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Czarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/czarism. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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