Synonyms of despotism

despotism

noun

ˈde-spə-ˌti-zəm 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tyranny
• dictatorship
• fascism
• autocracy
• Communism
• authoritarianism
• totalitarianism
• absolutism
• monarchy
• Caesarism
• autarchy
• totalism
• oppression
• czarism
• monarchism
• domination
• Nazism
• monocracy
• Big Brother
• Big Brotherism

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• democracy
• freedom
• self-government
• self-rule
• self-governance
• sovereignty
• autonomy
• self-determination

Example Sentences

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