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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Recent Examples of despotism
And there are worse messages to be putting out into the world via family films right now than celebrating the virtues of kindness and fairness over cruel despotism.
—
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2025
Cutting bureaucracy isn’t usually associated with despotism and power grabs.
—Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025
Picking your form of government used to feel like an existential choice, but now despotism and oligarchy are hardly differentiated.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2025
Western governments have burdened Georgia with a special status as a democracy-in-the-making in a region otherwise beset by despotism.
—Christian Caryl, Foreign Affairs, 26 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for despotism
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2025
Cutting bureaucracy isn’t usually associated with despotism and power grabs.
—Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025
Picking your form of government used to feel like an existential choice, but now despotism and oligarchy are hardly differentiated.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2025
Western governments have burdened Georgia with a special status as a democracy-in-the-making in a region otherwise beset by despotism.
—Christian Caryl, Foreign Affairs, 26 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for despotism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despotism
Noun
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose own family fled Cuba, surely understands the desperation that drives people to seek refuge from tyranny.—
Arlene Marcus,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Aug. 2025
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Had any Democratic president tried to so directly politicize these independent agencies Republicans would be screaming about the coming tyranny.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
10 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Instead, the Islamic Republic survives as a massively unpopular dictatorship, economically ruined, internationally isolated, and battered by both the U.S. and Israel.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
5 Aug. 2025
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This, in turn spawned totalitarian dictatorships and led to World War II.—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
29 July 2025
Noun
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One autocracy was over, another was just beginning.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
13 July 2025
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This liberal segment hopes that the country’s democratic institutions will keep it from sinking into autocracy.—
ANDREI KOLESNIKOV,
Foreign Affairs,
9 May 2025
Noun
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Stephen Graybill performs this audiobook with the skill of a newscaster who’s recounting revelation upon revelation about the spies on both sides of the war (and the Atlantic) who were using their skills to urge Americans to join the desperate struggle against fascism, or not.—
AudioFile Magazine
July 31,
Literary Hub,
31 July 2025
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Colbert has consistently called out Donald Trump and slammed the media’s growing cowardice in the face of fascism.—
Lizz Winstead,
Rolling Stone,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Despotism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despotism. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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