as in tyrant
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
the despot exiled political dissidents to remote labor camps, where they were left to rot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 despot
But that rhetoric sounded hollow in the face of its dalliance with a drug-smuggling double-dealing despot like Noriega.
—
Time, 25 Nov. 2025
Phantom Thread is a masterfully claustrophobic portrayal of a ’50s fashion house, as well as a nuanced depiction of a petty despot ruling over his small kingdom.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Armed with such sensational journalistic and fictional sources, artists from across the world, one after the other, proclaimed in virtual artistic unison that King Henry had been nothing more than a despot who essentially re-enslaved his people.
—Marlene L. Daut
september 22, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
That movie also marks one of the earliest appearances of the Iraqi despot Saddam Hussein.
—Nick Marx, The Conversation, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despot
Time, 25 Nov. 2025
Phantom Thread is a masterfully claustrophobic portrayal of a ’50s fashion house, as well as a nuanced depiction of a petty despot ruling over his small kingdom.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Armed with such sensational journalistic and fictional sources, artists from across the world, one after the other, proclaimed in virtual artistic unison that King Henry had been nothing more than a despot who essentially re-enslaved his people.
—Marlene L. Daut
september 22, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
That movie also marks one of the earliest appearances of the Iraqi despot Saddam Hussein.
—Nick Marx, The Conversation, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despot
Noun
-
But for so many Venezuelans, the sight of Maduro in shackles was about a tyrant facing justice.—
Gisela Salim-Peyer,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Now Matt is in Nick Fury mode, assembling his own team capable of overthrowing this tyrant — hence the arrival of Ritter's wise-ass strongwoman sleuth who can drink all of Manhattan under the table.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Maduro — a left-wing authoritarian who ruled Venezuela for more than a decade while ignoring election results — was not just another foreign dictator.—
Dustin Olson,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, often described as Europe’s last dictator and a key ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, has signed up.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Despot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despot. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
