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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in authoritarian
fond of ordering people around
the despotic coach demands that his players obey him without question
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 despotic
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
The Holocaust was planned and fomented in secrecy by a despotic regime.
—Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
Trump brushed aside past criticism from Mamdani—including claims the administration’s deportation tactics were despotic—quipping that holding executive office forces officials to evolve.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despotic
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
The Holocaust was planned and fomented in secrecy by a despotic regime.
—Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
Trump brushed aside past criticism from Mamdani—including claims the administration’s deportation tactics were despotic—quipping that holding executive office forces officials to evolve.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despotic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despotic
Adjective
-
The case also involves accusations of oppressive schedules and curtailed opportunities for sponsorships.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Embedded in a patriarchal family within an oppressive society, Mrie faces the challenge of disentangling herself from both.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Yet the tyrannical impulse of authoritarian populists is the same across the world.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Simultaneously, the rise of populist, authoritarian leaders and the radical right is destabilizing democracies.—
Time,
Time,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But hitting arbitrary targets has never been the point of the ratings game; what really matters in Milan is that NBC is clearing all its guarantees to advertisers.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Lusverti added that the list of beneficiaries fails to cover key periods of arbitrary detentions, including cases between 2020 and 2024, and raised concerns that the same courts that ordered the imprisonments are now responsible for administering the amnesty.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Sophie Turner plays Anne, living in the countryside and struggling in poverty with her domineering mother-in-law Morwen (Harden).—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
-
This is the rare movie adaptation that does cover the second half of the book, and our first glimpse of Heathcliff is as the domineering terror of his later years.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Memories of the shah's autocratic rule remain mixed in the country, although nostalgia for the period's economic prosperity has grown.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Was this a prank, an autocratic emergency, or something else?—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Maekar refuses, earning a cutting rebuttal from Dunk about the royal upbringing that turned Daeron (Henry Ashton) into a drunken coward and Aerion into an arrogant and cruel madman.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
23 Feb. 2026
-
And ironically, the most arrogant ones are the worst ones.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In the 1953 steel-seizure case, Jackson concluded with a warning about the importance of parliamentary deliberation to check a tyrannical executive.—
Jeffrey Rosen,
The Atlantic,
25 Feb. 2026
-
The House of the Spirits is a family saga that charts the Trueba family through multiple generations, spanning violent social change and culminating in a crisis that hurls a tyrannical patriarch and his beloved granddaughter towards opposite sides of the fence.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The judge was absolutely incredulous about the contractual argument and the independent, dictatorial authority of the president.—
Liz Crawford,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Rubio has been carrying out dictatorial measures at home.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Despotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despotic. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
