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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pharaoh
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
Leprosy still existed, pharaohs did not.
—Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pharaoh
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
Leprosy still existed, pharaohs did not.
—Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pharaoh
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pharaoh
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
“Pharaoh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pharaoh. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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