as in ruler
one who rules over a people with a sole, supreme, and usually hereditary authority
Charles inherited the position of potentate of the Holy Roman Empire from his grandfather, as well that of king of Spain from his father
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Recent Examples of potentate
But in his mid-80s, King George ponders whether to abdicate and devote his remaining days to finding female companionship (the aging potentate remains potent with the help of Viagra and similar pharmaceuticals).
—
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 5 May 2025
The cover of the first issue of The New Yorker, dated Feb. 21, 1925, carried no portraits of potentates or tycoons, no headlines, no come-ons.
—Christopher B. Daly, The Conversation, 11 Feb. 2025
Or were all those billionaire potentates in the Capitol Rotunda — seated in front of Trump’s Cabinet picks — asserting their social, economic and cultural hegemony?
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2025
This was a violin in full command of its considerable powers, a violin capable of enchanting the most powerful potentate in the land and persuading him to do its bidding.
—Mary Carole McCauley, Baltimore Sun, 24 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for potentate
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 5 May 2025
The cover of the first issue of The New Yorker, dated Feb. 21, 1925, carried no portraits of potentates or tycoons, no headlines, no come-ons.
—Christopher B. Daly, The Conversation, 11 Feb. 2025
Or were all those billionaire potentates in the Capitol Rotunda — seated in front of Trump’s Cabinet picks — asserting their social, economic and cultural hegemony?
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2025
This was a violin in full command of its considerable powers, a violin capable of enchanting the most powerful potentate in the land and persuading him to do its bidding.
—Mary Carole McCauley, Baltimore Sun, 24 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for potentate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for potentate
Noun
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The Basij have long operated as a national paramilitary force under the command of Iran's Islamic theocratic rulers, playing a major role in violently quashing anti-government protests, including the unprecedented wave of unrest in January.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
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Larijani was an influential figure in Iran's leadership who was viewed by some as a de facto ruler in the wake of Khamenei's death, and with the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei making no public appearances.—
Yarden Segev,
NBC news,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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According to another royal butler, Grant Harrold—who served as Charles’s butler, including when Charles married Camilla in 2005—the monarch’s mood was much different after his second wedding on April 9 of that year.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
16 Mar. 2026
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Four years later, Iran's monarch was himself was overthrown in the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution.—
Younes Mohammad,
USA Today,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The hope was that the visit, the first by a British sovereign in nearly two decades, would help smooth fractured relations between the two nations.—
Harriet Marsden,
TheWeek,
18 Mar. 2026
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All of Mabel’s new forest friends—there are deer, rabbits, turtles, raccoons, and a singularly gloomy bear—bow down to a beaver sovereign, King George (Bobby Moynihan), a gregarious and naïve soul who embraces a humble, communal ideal of living.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Potentate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/potentate. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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