as in dictator
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
like some pharaoh of a third-world country, more interested in building monuments to himself than in creating a future for his people
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Recent Examples of pharaoh
The announcement comes weeks after officials announced that a pharaoh's priceless bracelet had been stolen the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
—
Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2025
The mysteries of Cleopatra’s death Despite her short life of just 39 years, Cleopatra made an impact on the ancient world as one of a handful of female rulers and the last pharaoh of Egypt.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
Was the implication that Seqenenra couldn’t even control the hippopotami — a basic skill for any self-respecting pharaoh?
—Vanessa Taylor, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
Small wonder that although the statue is expressive of Jordan’s signature, physically sprawling move, one leg is as stiff as a pharaoh’s, his feet are weirdly flat, his jersey is pooched as if a possum were wriggling inside it.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pharaoh
Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2025
The mysteries of Cleopatra’s death Despite her short life of just 39 years, Cleopatra made an impact on the ancient world as one of a handful of female rulers and the last pharaoh of Egypt.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
Was the implication that Seqenenra couldn’t even control the hippopotami — a basic skill for any self-respecting pharaoh?
—Vanessa Taylor, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
Small wonder that although the statue is expressive of Jordan’s signature, physically sprawling move, one leg is as stiff as a pharaoh’s, his feet are weirdly flat, his jersey is pooched as if a possum were wriggling inside it.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pharaoh
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pharaoh
Noun
-
That’s what dictators want to do.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The dictator had set his mind on claiming all the sunken treasure off his country’s coast and would brook no competition.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Feingold saw gaps in the legislation that a would-be tyrant could easily exploit.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
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The selfish tyrant attaches himself only to those others who share his selfishness, who are eager to wear the mask of perpetual lying.—
David Brooks,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pharaoh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pharaoh. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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