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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Possibly to a way of life that not only survives many kinds of precarity—cruel weather, scanty income, a despotic army—but that even molds itself to them.
—
Samanth Subramanian,
New Yorker,
2 May 2026
Hard to Be a God is about a planet that has not been allowed to advance beyond the Middle Ages, and descended into a filthy, despotic, and violent world.
—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
Remarkably, among the foremost critics of Cuba’s single-party despotic rule is one of Castro’s own daughters, Alina Fernández Revuelta.
—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
11 Apr. 2026
The monarchist movement has not governed Iran since 1979, and its corrupt, despotic leader was overthrown in the revolution.
—
Farah N. Jan,
The Conversation,
10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for despotic
Samanth Subramanian,
New Yorker,
2 May 2026
Hard to Be a God is about a planet that has not been allowed to advance beyond the Middle Ages, and descended into a filthy, despotic, and violent world.
—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
Remarkably, among the foremost critics of Cuba’s single-party despotic rule is one of Castro’s own daughters, Alina Fernández Revuelta.
—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
11 Apr. 2026
The monarchist movement has not governed Iran since 1979, and its corrupt, despotic leader was overthrown in the revolution.
—
Farah N. Jan,
The Conversation,
10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for despotic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despotic
Adjective
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Other booths included photo opportunities dressed in traditional Colonial garb, hands-on historical exhibits and interactive displays that offered visitors a break from the oppressive heat.
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Due to the oppressive heat, the Phillies have adjusted operations through Thursday's game.
Adjective
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In the nation’s gravest hour, the country’s authoritarian regime has crippled an effective response, say survivors, rescue workers and former officials.
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Some are fleeing authoritarian regimes, war or natural disasters.
Adjective
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Hundreds of people have been detained and Serbia's police was accused of excessive force and arbitrary arrests.
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Hundreds of people have been detained and Serbia’s police was accused of excessive force and arbitrary arrests.
Adjective
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Musk’s company has inked lucrative AI deals with Anthropic and Google and plans to be the domineering firm behind orbital data centers, which SpaceX has said could be deployed as early as 2028.
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Many figures within evangelicalism have promoted an aggressive, domineering, even abusive view of manhood—affixing to it, as Du Mez argues, the label biblical.
Adjective
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University students behind more than a year of protests against Vucic's increasingly autocratic rule in Serbia have been demanding early parliamentary elections for over a year but Vucic so far has refrained from setting the date.
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University students behind more than a year of protests against Vucic’s increasingly autocratic rule in Serbia have been demanding early parliamentary elections for over a year, but Vucic so far has refrained from setting the date.
Adjective
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West Germany, arrogant attitude adjusted, pounded Chile, 4-1.
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Lasso, in his initial introduction to audiences, wasn’t the warm, pun-loving, inspirational coach audiences would eventually embrace through Apple +, but a slightly arrogant buffoon parodying the average American sports fan.
Adjective
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Woody and Buzz have survived sadistic neighbors, evil toys and tyrannical daycare rulers.
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This dooms the kingdom to the tyrannical rule of the villainous Priscilla (Nikki Glaser), who swoops in and snatches the throne.
Adjective
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As pointed out by Cox, Zagallo was only brought in as manager in the March of 1970 after his predecessor, Saldanha, had fallen out with Brazil’s dictatorial president Emilio Medici.
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Perhaps, no seriously, this is the continuation of the overshadowing dictatorial style coming from Washington, as evidenced flowing through the Paramount takeover of CBS and the subsequent displacement of other highly qualified CBS talent.
Cite this Entry
“Despotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despotic. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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