1
as in oppressive
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despotic
The first Mistborn trilogy of books centered on metal-using magicians who attempt to overthrow a despotic empire.
—
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 28 Jan. 2026
The proud and courageous Iranian people are rising up against the tyrannical, despotic and oppressive regime that imposed its vicious rule in 1979 and has governed by fear and murder ever since.
—Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 8 Jan. 2026
Soon, Venezuelan Jews joined others in the country in growing sharply concerned about a crackdown on civil liberties, the worsening economy and Chávez’s praise for despotic leaders such as Saddam Hussein.
—Larry Luxner, Sun Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
Cortinas’ efforts for the government to reveal the truth about her son’s whereabouts sparked the Madres de Plaza de Mayo movement, where the mothers of revolutionaries protested and pressured the despotic government for information about their missing children.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despotic
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 28 Jan. 2026
The proud and courageous Iranian people are rising up against the tyrannical, despotic and oppressive regime that imposed its vicious rule in 1979 and has governed by fear and murder ever since.
—Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 8 Jan. 2026
Soon, Venezuelan Jews joined others in the country in growing sharply concerned about a crackdown on civil liberties, the worsening economy and Chávez’s praise for despotic leaders such as Saddam Hussein.
—Larry Luxner, Sun Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
Cortinas’ efforts for the government to reveal the truth about her son’s whereabouts sparked the Madres de Plaza de Mayo movement, where the mothers of revolutionaries protested and pressured the despotic government for information about their missing children.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despotic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despotic
Adjective
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Unger, who lives in Clearwater, has a reputation for solid stand-alone thrillers that have landed on bestseller lists, with unusual plots and unconventional motives shrouded in dark-but-not-oppressive atmospheres.—
Oline H. Cogdill,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
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Brown, who later became a successful commercial novelist, found the movie literally oppressive.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Organizers and protesters fear America is on a path toward authoritarian rule.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
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The President has, in ICE, a quasi-authoritarian force at his disposal.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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What’s to blame for all these arbitrary governing principles?—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
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Black folks have seen the face of the US’s prerogative state—the side of the government that dispenses arbitrary jurisprudence, discriminatory law enforcement, and violence against those who challenge its authority and dominant ideologies.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Netflix’s domineering presence, one that permeated every corner of a typically sacred day at the ballpark, had mercifully evaporated.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Wrapping production last October, Carrie is described as a reimagining of the story of misfit high schooler Carrie White, who has spent her life in seclusion with her domineering mother.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This means that filmmakers out of favor with autocratic regimes—including, in Iran, some of the nation’s greatest artists—don’t stand a chance, and some of the most notable recent Iranian films have been submitted by other countries.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
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Tens of thousands protested in Prague against populist Andrej Babiš’ new government, comparing it to increasingly autocratic Hungary and Slovakia.—
Karel Janicek,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The rabbi is ornery, arrogant, sometimes cruel.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
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Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The Trueba family’s passions, struggles, and secrets span a century of violent social change, culminating in a crisis that hurls the proud, tyrannical patriarch and his beloved granddaughter towards opposite sides of the fence.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2026
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Enslaved by a tyrannical regime for nearly half a century, everyday Iranians long passionately for their freedom, as the rebellion earlier this year showed.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Aggressive, a bit dictatorial’.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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In 1933, the German Reichstag adopted the Enabling Act, which effectively granted Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Despotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despotic. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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