variants
also tsarist
or tzarist
as in oppressive
exercising power or authority without interference by others
the trustees felt that the university needed a strong, czarist leader who could propel it to world-class status
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of czarist
Compared to their forerunners in the tsarist era, with their party congresses held abroad, their executive committees, and their active recruitment in imperial Russia’s universities, Soviet dissidents remained a comparatively small and informal conglomeration of activists.
—
Benjamin Nathans
september 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
Since tsarist times, Russia has ensured Armenia’s loyalty by promising to defend it against the Ottoman Empire (and then against its successor, Turkey) with sustained military support.
—Thomas De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 22 Sep. 2025
Benjamin Nathans
september 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
Since tsarist times, Russia has ensured Armenia’s loyalty by promising to defend it against the Ottoman Empire (and then against its successor, Turkey) with sustained military support.
—Thomas De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for czarist
Adjective
-
The proud and courageous Iranian people are rising up against the tyrannical, despotic and oppressive regime that imposed its vicious rule in 1979 and has governed by fear and murder ever since.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Their writing focuses on identity and the intersections of mental health and oppressive systems.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Seizures of National Park protected land, destruction of our White House, massive banners of his photo draped on the Department of Labor and USDA buildings — please tell me how Trump’s authoritarian actions are any different from Vladimir Putin or Saddam Hussein?—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Yet the president told The New York Times on Wednesday that US oversight of Venezuela could last for years, following its toppling of the country’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
As anyone who has tried can attest, building anything these days, whether a house or a commercial project, requires navigating a complex labyrinth of regulations, enduring a long and grueling and extremely costly, and often arbitrary, multilayered approval, review, and permitting process.—
Lee Steinhauer,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Jan. 2026
-
International organizations have said Israel’s rules are arbitrary and could endanger staff.—
Freddie Clayton,
NBC news,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Iran's autocratic regime has quashed several previous waves of unrest, violently, and the source in Tehran told CBS News there was significant fear among many people that the current protests would draw a similar draconian crackdown.—
Tucker Reals,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Javier Corrales, an expert on Venezuelan politics, tells Isaac Chotiner about the autocratic methods that Maduro used to maintain power, and what might happen to the regime in his absence.—
Ian Crouch,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Soon, Venezuelan Jews joined others in the country in growing sharply concerned about a crackdown on civil liberties, the worsening economy and Chávez’s praise for despotic leaders such as Saddam Hussein.—
Larry Luxner,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Cortinas’ efforts for the government to reveal the truth about her son’s whereabouts sparked the Madres de Plaza de Mayo movement, where the mothers of revolutionaries protested and pressured the despotic government for information about their missing children.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
26 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The proud and courageous Iranian people are rising up against the tyrannical, despotic and oppressive regime that imposed its vicious rule in 1979 and has governed by fear and murder ever since.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Though not an outright villain like the tyrannical Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme), Dementus exhibits psychopathic behavior throughout the film, engaging in human trafficking and even murder.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
These tyrannous tabbies don’t understand that canning is not exclusively for wet food.—
Julie Klausner,
Vulture,
27 Dec. 2024
-
Indeed, Daniel Roher’s pulse-pumping documentary about the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has all the ingredients: a mysterious case of near-fatal poisoning, a web of for-hire hoodlums, Vladimir Putin as the tyrannous leader behind it all.—
Tomris Laffly,
Harper's BAZAAR,
1 Feb. 2022
Adjective
-
Maduro made it to the Presidency because of a decision by Hugo Chávez, a very popular and populist President who became semi-dictatorial.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
-
International election watchdogs, including the United States, say Maduro manipulated the ballot results in order to steal a third term in office and continue his dictatorial reign.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
3 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Czarist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/czarist. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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