CZARIST Synonyms: 39 Similar and Opposite Words

czarist

adjective

variants also tsarist or tzarist

Definition of czarist

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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of czarist In Russia, czarist monuments were replaced by statues of Communist leaders, which in turn were torn down — statues of Stalin also fell in Hungary, Georgia and Albania. — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for czarist

Adjective

However, a time has come where the weight of those dreams and ambitions has become surprisingly oppressive.

— Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Aug. 2026
About the jail conditions The Sunday afternoon heat surrounding volunteers contrasts with what detainees describe as an oppressive cold inside.

— Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of oppressive

Adjective

A good number of them also have authoritarian governments, raising questions about the lack of accountability and due process to ensure the protection of the deportees’ rights.

— Mark Banchereau, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
The Gwangju Biennale was founded in 1994 to commemorate the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, during which hundreds of civilians were killed during a protest against the authoritarian military government’s brutal crackdown on civil rights.

— Vivienne Chow, ARTnews.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of authoritarian

Adjective

Rights groups have raised concerns about the treatment of migrants and asylum seekers in Tunisia since the EU agreement, including reports of collective expulsions, racial violence, arbitrary detention and abuses against Black migrants.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
This way, statistical confidence gets flagged earlier, so decisions don't wait on an arbitrary deadline, and underperforming variants get phased out automatically instead of running to completion for no reason.

— Karan Sharma, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of arbitrary

Adjective

At a Sunday rally in Georgia, Ossoff needled Trump for accepting a new Air Force One plane from the autocratic monarchy of Qatar and for reportedly hiding in a catering truck to switch to a different plane in Turkey last month.

— Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 20 Aug. 2026
Increasing the stakes is Florida’s connection to Latin America, given that many expats settled in the state after fleeing autocratic leftist regimes in Cuba and Venezuela.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of autocratic

Adjective

The comedy of errors that follows as Ina attempts to solve the nation’s problems, from traffic congestion to energy crisis, doubles as a critique of the despotic regime and the tumult of living in such hellish times.

— Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2026
Indeed, the representatives of that Government assert that the people of Hawaii are unfit for popular government and frankly avow that they can be best ruled by arbitrary or despotic power.

— Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of despotic

Adjective

The 2015 action film, set in a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland, stars Theron as warrior Imperator Furiosa, who leads the daring escape of female prisoners from a tyrannical ruler.

— Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 23 Aug. 2026
That goes double for The Devil Wears Prada’s tyrannical Miranda Priestly, in which Streep turns an icy glare into a weapon tantamount to Leatherface’s chainsaw.

— Chris Bellamy, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of tyrannical

Adjective

These tyrannous tabbies don’t understand that canning is not exclusively for wet food.

— Julie Klausner, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
The same study posited that Fela was not the only popular musician who confronted the military and tyrannous leaders of Nigeria between independence in 1960 and Fela’s passing in 1997.

— Garhe Osiebe, Quartz Africa, 21 Feb. 2021

Definition of tyrannous

Adjective

Standing before her guards, the increasingly dictatorial ruler proclaims herself as the Chosen One to the people of King's Landing.

— Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
In 2024, Margo is hired to find the book that disappeared, along with many others, through the dictatorial years.

— The Know, Denver Post, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of dictatorial

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“Czarist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/czarist. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of czarist

adjective

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