as in monarch
one who rules over a people with a sole, supreme, and usually hereditary authority
the aging ruler agonized over the choice of an heir
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ruler
Because of internal resistance and a poor economy, Iran’s rulers are at a low point.
—
Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2026
The theocratic ruler’s objection was that Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses was offensive to Islam, and therefore punishable by death.
—Andrea Valdez, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2026
The Persian ruler was looking for a better military vehicle, but the end result proved more suited to civilian adventures and was put in production in 1979 as the GW 460.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2026
The Eritrean football team was not allowed to take part in qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations from 2008 until this year, primarily because the country’s rulers thought that players would defect while playing abroad.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruler
Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2026
The theocratic ruler’s objection was that Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses was offensive to Islam, and therefore punishable by death.
—Andrea Valdez, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2026
The Persian ruler was looking for a better military vehicle, but the end result proved more suited to civilian adventures and was put in production in 1979 as the GW 460.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2026
The Eritrean football team was not allowed to take part in qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations from 2008 until this year, primarily because the country’s rulers thought that players would defect while playing abroad.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruler
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruler
Noun
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England’s longest-reigning monarch died in 2022 at age 96.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
22 Mar. 2026
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The exhibition showcases more than 60 objects made of silver, gold, enamel and precious jewels from several European monarchs and rulers to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.—
Alyson Rodriguez,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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To see whether fish might possess this ability, the team went to Lake Tanganyika in eastern Africa to conduct different experiments on the emperor cichlid (Boulengerochromis microlepis), a species that is neither too fearful of nor too aggressive toward humans.—
Gennaro Tomma,
Scientific American,
17 Mar. 2026
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Writing in the fourth century, Eusebius celebrated the reign of the first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine, who ruled from 306-337.—
Brett Whalen,
The Conversation,
11 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
Noun
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The Revolution’s language of Islamist class struggle fixated on Iran’s recent kings as stooges of Western imperialism.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
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Scarinci said such a coin would send the message that the sitting president is a king.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruler.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruler. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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