variants
or fuehrer
as in dictator
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
a nation that has suffered under the yoke of one führer after another, never knowing the freedoms of a democracy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of führer
Daalder was alluding to Britain’s early World War II prime minister who was widely criticized for appeasing Hitler as the German fuhrer marched across Europe.
—
Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2025
Overseas, Adolf Hitler was the fuhrer of Germany, and his persecution of Jews became even more apparent after Kristallnacht, in November 1938, when the Nazi regime went on an antisemitic rampage.
—Robert Gudmestad, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2024
Hermann Goering, Hitler’s air force chief and deputy fuhrer, was, says the judge, highly intelligent.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Oct. 2021
Yorki is Jojo's best friend and, outside the imaginary fuhrer, his closest confidant.
—Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Oct. 2019
In 1933, deputy fuhrer Rudolf Hess ordered Heinz Spanknobel, a German immigrant, to form Friends of New Germany, a group based in NYC, with the goal of spreading National Socialism throughout the United States.
—Matt Giles, Longreads, 13 Aug. 2017
Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2025
Overseas, Adolf Hitler was the fuhrer of Germany, and his persecution of Jews became even more apparent after Kristallnacht, in November 1938, when the Nazi regime went on an antisemitic rampage.
—Robert Gudmestad, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2024
Hermann Goering, Hitler’s air force chief and deputy fuhrer, was, says the judge, highly intelligent.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Oct. 2021
Yorki is Jojo's best friend and, outside the imaginary fuhrer, his closest confidant.
—Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Oct. 2019
In 1933, deputy fuhrer Rudolf Hess ordered Heinz Spanknobel, a German immigrant, to form Friends of New Germany, a group based in NYC, with the goal of spreading National Socialism throughout the United States.
—Matt Giles, Longreads, 13 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for führer
Noun
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But, as had happened so often in the history of brittle regimes, the dictator’s gesture of conciliation was read as desperation.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
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Mainly for the money Among the fraternity of dictators such revenue streams have now gone mainstream.—
Max Hastings,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But for so many Venezuelans, the sight of Maduro in shackles was about a tyrant facing justice.—
Gisela Salim-Peyer,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
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Now Matt is in Nick Fury mode, assembling his own team capable of overthrowing this tyrant — hence the arrival of Ritter's wise-ass strongwoman sleuth who can drink all of Manhattan under the table.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Führer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/f%C3%BChrer. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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