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
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Another wonderful cold-season brassica, cauliflower can benefit from a head start indoors, which gives it time to be transplanted and reach maturity outdoors before the summer heat becomes too oppressive.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
12 Mar. 2026
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The pain and exhaustion and grief are so real and oppressive, the camera never dares set a foot outside.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Despite his progressive views, he was widely seen as an authoritarian and a despot.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Scientific institutions represent a potential pillar of support for an increasingly authoritarian government.—
Jenna Norton,
STAT,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In his ruling, Estudillo said the group failed to show that they were denied passes because of their political affiliations — which would be a violation of their First Amendment rights — and failed to show that the process was arbitrary, which would have violated their due process rights.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
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Teaching of the Kurdish language is restricted, Kurdish names are banned from official registration, and Kurdish activists face arbitrary detention.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Those thousands of Iranians who poured out on the streets of Tehran were supposed to be calling for the toppling of the autocratic Islamist regime.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
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Memories of the shah's autocratic rule remain mixed in the country, although nostalgia for the period's economic prosperity has grown.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The monarchist movement has not governed Iran since 1979, and its corrupt, despotic leader was overthrown in the revolution.—
Farah N. Jan,
The Conversation,
10 Mar. 2026
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My ability to complete Ballot during a genocide and despotic takeover hinged on confronting these uncomfortable truths.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Our founding fathers experienced the heavy hand of a tyrannical government.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Or the sight of an evil Jerry robot, puppeted by the consciousness of a tyrannical butterfly (Dave Franco), scampering, insect-like, around the fiery maelstrom of a rally gone awry.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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These tyrannous tabbies don’t understand that canning is not exclusively for wet food.—
Julie Klausner,
Vulture,
27 Dec. 2024
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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
-
Aggressive, a bit dictatorial’.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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They are aimed at liberty, normalization and everything dictatorial theocracy fears most.—
Calev Myers,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Czarist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/czarist. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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