1
as in arbitrary
exercising power or authority without interference by others
a nation ruled by a series of despotic rulers, each seemingly worse than the last
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in authoritarian
fond of ordering people around
the despotic coach demands that his players obey him without question
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despotic
In these ways, Trump’s despotic acts are indeed without precedent in American history.
—
Patrick Eddington, Oc Register, 20 Apr. 2025
It was first created in 1942 specifically to serve as a foil to Axis disinformation and over the years became a beacon of hope to people living under all manner of totalitarian and despotic governments.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2025
The notion that these companies were sovereign enclaves of pitilessly despotic geniuses is a myth of recent vintage.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
Guaranteeing the people’s right to bear arms, both through state militias and as individuals, would serve as deterrence against federal leaders with despotic aspirations.
—Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despotic
Patrick Eddington, Oc Register, 20 Apr. 2025
It was first created in 1942 specifically to serve as a foil to Axis disinformation and over the years became a beacon of hope to people living under all manner of totalitarian and despotic governments.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2025
The notion that these companies were sovereign enclaves of pitilessly despotic geniuses is a myth of recent vintage.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
Guaranteeing the people’s right to bear arms, both through state militias and as individuals, would serve as deterrence against federal leaders with despotic aspirations.
—Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despotic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despotic
Adjective
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There are no longer arbitrary divisions in which people say that different functions aren’t their job or concern.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
Marylanders deserve a civil justice system that recognizes the full scope of human suffering and empowers citizen juries to render verdicts based on evidence rather than arbitrary limitations.—
Bruce M. Plaxen,
Baltimore Sun,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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Whether Trump's death quelled or accelerated authoritarian forces remains an open question.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 July 2025
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All of these factors and their contribution to alienation can foster authoritarian beliefs and individualism.—
Nathan Meyers,
The Conversation,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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Since seizing control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the group has implemented a string of oppressive measures against women and girls, even cracking down on the sound of women’s voices in public.—
Catherine Nicholls,
CNN Money,
8 July 2025
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Others reject the portrayal of federal actions as oppressive, suggesting deployments like those in Los Angeles prioritize national security and immigration enforcement.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2025
Adjective
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Louise Fletcher portrays the domineering head nurse Ratched.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
6 July 2025
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But Agnes can’t stop barking orders, leaving the household staff at a loss over who to listen to — their domineering former boss or the woman signing their paychecks.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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As the day goes on, Jim goes from a caricature of an arrogant male director to an oddly compelling picture of a pathetic man, moved by spite toward his ex-wife, Anita.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 July 2025
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Actor Tyler Hilton played Chris Keller, a charming but arrogant musician, on four seasons of the teen soap.—
Bryan West,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
Without any consequences, this autocratic politician will continue to push the limits of his authority beyond the breaking point until someone forces him to stop.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
29 June 2025
-
Iranian meddling in the region has provided Arab dictators such as Syria’s Bashar al-Assad with both the moral and material means to suppress dissent, crush reform, and extend their autocratic rule.—
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib,
The Atlantic,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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However, some new reevaluations of primary source documents and ethnobotanical fieldwork now suggests there was more to the madman than tyrannical bloodlust.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
10 July 2025
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Today, a group of immigrant plaintiffs bear the same banner of freedom against the tyrannical immigration policies of Trump and his new travel ban.—
Nick Mordowanec,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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The Big Beautiful Bill is supposed to revitalize our economy, but the president who asked for it is destroying that economy with his erratic, uninformed and ill-judged dictatorial outbursts.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
13 July 2025
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In 2023's The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the first Hunger Games prequel story, Tom Blyth portrayed a younger version of President Snow, depicted as a Hunger Games mentor who begins rising toward his eventual dictatorial role within Collins' fictional Panem. 28 Years Later is in theaters now.—
Tommy McArdle,
People.com,
21 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Despotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despotic. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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