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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pharaohs
Leprosy still existed, pharaohs did not.
—
Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pharaohs
Noun
-
As the President insults allies, woos dictators, and spurns long-standing commitments, Rubio has to convince his counterparts that America will not entirely abandon its friends.—
Dexter Filkins,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
-
In return, Cuba provided ‘Security Services’ for the last two Venezuelan dictators, BUT NOT ANYMORE!—
Alex Nitzberg,
FOXNews.com,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
After more than a century of plunder and strife, under tyrants as diverse as King Leopold II of Belgium and Mobutu Sese Seko, the present-day DRC still occupies the dark heart of the continent in much of the world’s imagination.—
Holden Frith,
TheWeek,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The rule of law that once distinguished American power from the impunity of tyrants has been deliberately dismantled, one opinion at a time.—
Jon Duffy,
Mercury News,
29 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pharaohs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pharaohs. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
