as in dictators
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 pharaohs
Her male counterparts were also well represented, with pharaohs donning headdresses of various eras, their outfits playing on the contrast between polished, hammered, engraved and even beaded golds.
—
Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 9 June 2026
This is the third immersive experience presented at South Florida PBS Studios, following presentations on Leonardo Da Vinci and Egyptian pharaohs.
—Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026
Leprosy still existed, pharaohs did not.
—Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
In fact, researchers know that pirates – basically just thieves on the water – targeted these river boats, because Egyptian pharaohs left records grumbling about pirates and their widespread pillaging.
—Brandon Prins, The Conversation, 14 July 2025
Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 9 June 2026
This is the third immersive experience presented at South Florida PBS Studios, following presentations on Leonardo Da Vinci and Egyptian pharaohs.
—Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026
Leprosy still existed, pharaohs did not.
—Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
In fact, researchers know that pirates – basically just thieves on the water – targeted these river boats, because Egyptian pharaohs left records grumbling about pirates and their widespread pillaging.
—Brandon Prins, The Conversation, 14 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pharaohs
Noun
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Russian athletes are routinely asked to answer for the actions of their government, yet athletes from other countries are rarely subjected to the same scrutiny or treated as though they are personally aligned with war criminals or dictators.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
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Blatter also suggested that Infantino, like a lot of dictators, has started acting withdrawn.—
Chris Jones,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
Noun
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This president, who called his treasonous supporters to arms, wants our tax dollars to compensate these tyrants.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
27 May 2026
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Because, after all, as in all of Haber’s novels, the point is not really what is happening in the world but what is happening in the mind—in this case the mind of the pettiest of tyrants.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pharaohs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pharaohs. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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