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
Many archaeologists believe the pharaoh was buried near the royal palace in Alexandria, which sank into the sea following an earthquake and tsunami in A.D. 365.
—
Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
An ancient gold bracelet belonging to an Egyptian pharaoh that had disappeared from a museum in Cairo was stolen and later melted down, the country's Interior Ministry said Thursday.
—Charlene Gubash, NBC news, 18 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
Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
An ancient gold bracelet belonging to an Egyptian pharaoh that had disappeared from a museum in Cairo was stolen and later melted down, the country's Interior Ministry said Thursday.
—Charlene Gubash, NBC news, 18 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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Since then, it has been linked to financial deals for dictators Manuel Noriega and Saddam Hussein, Islamic terrorist groups and government intelligence agencies including the CIA.—
Deena Sabry,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Hitler, the dictator who led Nazi Germany from 1933 until his suicide in 1945, was central in enacting the genocide of 6 million Jews.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Knowing that the tyrants in the Kremlin approved all these activities does not negate their positive impact on American society.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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Although Pancho Villa was considered by many Mexicans a hero of that revolution, my great-grandfather regarded him as a tyrant who forced Indigenous people into battle, treating them as little more than cannon fodder.—
jsonline.com,
jsonline.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pharaoh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pharaoh. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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