as in dictators
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
the despot exiled political dissidents to remote labor camps, where they were left to rot
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despots
So what if the Engineers copied their own DNA to create humanity; how would the discovery of their existence further embolden the wealthy, who already see themselves as new gods, and drive further wedges between despots like the Five?
—
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
That’s reminiscent of what the despots of Eastern Europe did during the Cold War, building huge concrete apartment blocks with meager square-foot allotments per family.
—Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
That’s reminiscent of what the despots of Eastern Europe did during the Cold War, building huge concrete apartment blocks with meager square-foot allotments per family.
—Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despots
Noun
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This is what dictators do, not American presidents.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
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Coup-proofing is an art, and many dictators now spend a great deal of effort making sure that their own generals will not attempt to overthrow them.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
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After more than a century of plunder and strife, under tyrants as diverse as King Leopold II of Belgium and Mobutu Sese Seko, the present-day DRC still occupies the dark heart of the continent in much of the world’s imagination.—
Holden Frith,
TheWeek,
9 Jan. 2026
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The rule of law that once distinguished American power from the impunity of tyrants has been deliberately dismantled, one opinion at a time.—
Jon Duffy,
Mercury News,
29 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Despots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despots. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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