DESPOTIC Synonyms: 102 Similar and Opposite Words

despotic

adjective

de-ˈspä-tik

Definition of despotic

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

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 The pretence of an absolute, irresistible, despotic power, existing in every government somewhere, is incompatible with the first principle of natural right. — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026 That seems to me to be an absolutely clear point, that only despotic regimes do that stuff. — Katie Drummond, Wired News, 19 May 2026 The Academy rules work for countries with democratic governments but not for countries with despotic regimes. — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 4 May 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for despotic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for despotic

Adjective

In Atlanta, high temps are expected in the mid-90s on Friday, and the humidity will make the heat feel more oppressive.

— Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Such tools for combating oppressive heat look prescient now, but Stierli isn’t impressed; Tropical Modernism was sensitive to the region’s climate but not to its culture.

— Justin Davidson, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of oppressive

Adjective

Castro’s death could also spark the sort of power struggles among factions that usually follow the death of an authoritarian leader.

— Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
By eroding the feedback loop that every stable government—even the most authoritarian—needs to stay in power, the Putin regime is becoming less capable of understanding the real condition of Russia.

— Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of authoritarian

Adjective

Vucic has pushed hard against the protesters, sparking international concern over police violence and arbitrary detentions.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Vucic has pushed hard against the protesters as the government faced international criticism over police violence and arbitrary detentions of demonstrators.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of arbitrary

Adjective

She’s played with a darkly enigmatic, unnerving quality by James in her finest work to date — a knowing, even domineering smile often curling around her lips.

— Tomris Laffly, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Rebecca Hall, playing his elegantly domineering wife, gets even less.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of domineering

Adjective

At a Sunday rally in Georgia, Ossoff needled Trump for accepting a new Air Force One plane from the autocratic monarchy of Qatar and for reportedly hiding in a catering truck to switch to a different plane in Turkey last month.

— Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 20 Aug. 2026
Increasing the stakes is Florida’s connection to Latin America, given that many expats settled in the state after fleeing autocratic leftist regimes in Cuba and Venezuela.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of autocratic

Adjective

Everybody on our side understands that impeachment is a critical tool in the toolbox for constitutional self-defense against a president acting like a king, an imperious, lawless, arrogant king.

— NBC news, NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026
Most obviously, front and center, and in endlessly intrusive close-up, there’s Pattinson — who also serves as producer — playing the arrogant, fame-addicted, megalomaniac Hansen.

— Jessica Kiang, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of arrogant

Adjective

There, the tyrannical February has condemned its inhabitants to eternal winter and forbids them from flying, while a masked resistance movement known as The Solution fights to restore light and freedom.

— Alexandra Patterson, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
The 2015 action film, set in a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland, stars Theron as warrior Imperator Furiosa, who leads the daring escape of female prisoners from a tyrannical ruler.

— Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of tyrannical

Adjective

Standing before her guards, the increasingly dictatorial ruler proclaims herself as the Chosen One to the people of King's Landing.

— Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
In 2024, Margo is hired to find the book that disappeared, along with many others, through the dictatorial years.

— The Know, Denver Post, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of dictatorial

Browse Nearby Words

despot

despotic

despotism

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Despotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despotic. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of despotic

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

loath

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes