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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despotism
That’s authoritarian bluster of the sort heard in despotisms.
—
Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 4 Oct. 2025
Rather than panicking over Moscow’s maneuverings or conditioning their own support on Syria’s total break with Russia, U.S. and European leaders should focus on helping Syrians recover after a decade of civil war and a half century of despotism.
—Hanna Notte, Foreign Affairs, 3 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
That is why despotism has been the rule and liberty and justice the exception since the beginning of time.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for despotism
Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 4 Oct. 2025
Rather than panicking over Moscow’s maneuverings or conditioning their own support on Syria’s total break with Russia, U.S. and European leaders should focus on helping Syrians recover after a decade of civil war and a half century of despotism.
—Hanna Notte, Foreign Affairs, 3 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
That is why despotism has been the rule and liberty and justice the exception since the beginning of time.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for despotism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despotism
Noun
-
Of course, the titular Boys will try their best to end his tyranny.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
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But his stance against the president’s tyranny is a call to action in the same vein as John Paul II’s exhortation to the free world to oppose the Soviet empire.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The banner, more reminiscent of the way leaders are plastered on government buildings in a dictatorship like North Korea, is just the type of gesture the president expects.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Apr. 2026
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Fifty years ago, just after the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, about 90% of residents were Catholic.—
Alexis Marshall,
NPR,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Post-fascism doesn’t involve paramilitaries or do away with elections outright.—
Isaac Stanley-Becker,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
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Eventually, that nativist turn would take America into a series of constitutional crises and to the edge of some American version of fascism.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Since 2021, the state has been grappling with slowing economic output, weaning itself off a property market bubble, and trying to find a balance between promoting a free market and stock exchange within a one-party autocracy.—
Joseph Wilkins,Sean Conlon,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
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Oil and autocracy in Venezuela The currency of exchange between America and Venezuela is oil.—
Boris Muñoz,
Time,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Despotism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despotism. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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