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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despot
The piece details the rise and fall of Maduro, a violent despot who ruled with an iron fist.
—
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
What do the scandal-scarred Minnesota governor, the anti-semitic, anti-wealth mayor of New York City and a corrupt Venezuelan despot all have in common?
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
The Dowager Duchess believed that Goethe would help her teen-age son, the Duke, mature into a benevolent despot.
—Merve Emre, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
But that rhetoric sounded hollow in the face of its dalliance with a drug-smuggling double-dealing despot like Noriega.
—Time, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despot
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
What do the scandal-scarred Minnesota governor, the anti-semitic, anti-wealth mayor of New York City and a corrupt Venezuelan despot all have in common?
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
The Dowager Duchess believed that Goethe would help her teen-age son, the Duke, mature into a benevolent despot.
—Merve Emre, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
But that rhetoric sounded hollow in the face of its dalliance with a drug-smuggling double-dealing despot like Noriega.
—Time, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despot
Noun
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West Canaan Coyotes coach Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight) is a racist tyrant who pushes his players past their limit in order to win.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
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When a tyrant falls, we may be tempted to imagine a final moment of tragic self-awareness—a personal reckoning, like Oedipus blinding himself, or Macbeth raging on the heath.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The only thing for the United States to negotiate with dictator Miguel Díaz-Canel is when to step down.—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
6 Feb. 2026
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Its focus soon shifted to ousting dictator Slobodan Milosevic, using mass demonstrations and a general strike across the provinces to make its point.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Despot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despot. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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