despotism

noun

ˈde-spə-ˌti-zəm How to pronounce despotism (audio)
Definition of despotismnext
as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power by the end of the 20th century many countries around the world had rejected despotism in favor of democracy

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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 despotism The hope is that the institutional reforms started by the interim administration of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus deliver the necessary checks and balances to avert another lurch toward despotism. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 28 Jan. 2026 The strength and powers of despotism consist wholly in the fear of resisting it. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 Nov. 2025 That’s authoritarian bluster of the sort heard in despotisms. — Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 4 Oct. 2025 The Bashar Assad regime’s collapse inspired a wave of optimism about despotism turning into democracy. — Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for despotism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despotism
  1. tyranny
  2. dictatorship
  3. fascism
  4. autocracy
Noun
  • While Queen Romana projected the image of a supreme ruler who alternated between benevolence and tyranny, Didulo the person was all too human.
    — Zander Sherman, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Fandom has been around since the advent of mass media, but with that old world dying and the new one (bluntly summarized, its main features are social media plus the tyranny of the algorithm) very much born, now is the time of fangirls.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of tyranny
Noun
  • While the White House hoped to remove Díaz-Canel and the Castro family from power, the push has been complicated by the lack of a credible opposition since revolutionary brothers Fidel and Raúl overthrew the island’s military dictatorship in 1959.
    — Bloomberg, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The Dominican Republic's former Minister for Regional Integration Policies, Miguel Mejía, considered the measure extreme, comparable only to the rupture imposed during the 31-year dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo that ended in 1961.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of dictatorship
Noun
  • The city is most associated with two things, European high culture and the rise of fascism.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • And of course fascism and Nazis were worse, but was war the answer?
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of fascism
Noun
  • The transition from republic to autocracy is narrated through (imagined) letters and journals of his closest advisors, friends, and family.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
  • But attributing Morocco’s triumph to autocracy misses the point.
    — Joe Mathews, Mercury News, 28 July 2026
Definition of autocracy

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Cite this Entry

“Despotism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despotism. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on despotism

Nglish: Translation of despotism for Spanish Speakers

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