as in dictator
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
a Latin-American strongman who basically treated his nation's coffers as his personal bank account
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of strongman
The trouble, to paraphrase Adam Phillips, is that strongmen tend to bring out the strongman in us all.
—
Emily Chamlee-Wright, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
That eye-popping price looked less like an investment and more like a hefty tribute offered up to a corrupt strongman.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
The perception that Maduro gave away oil to keep himself in power has made some Venezuelans more comfortable with the idea of giving oil to America, the country that got rid of the strongman.
—The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
Peace for Rome was tantamount to victory for Rome – or, as in this case, for one of Rome’s strongmen.
—Timothy Joseph, The Conversation, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strongman
Emily Chamlee-Wright, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
That eye-popping price looked less like an investment and more like a hefty tribute offered up to a corrupt strongman.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
The perception that Maduro gave away oil to keep himself in power has made some Venezuelans more comfortable with the idea of giving oil to America, the country that got rid of the strongman.
—The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
Peace for Rome was tantamount to victory for Rome – or, as in this case, for one of Rome’s strongmen.
—Timothy Joseph, The Conversation, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strongman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strongman
Noun
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Video showed a man attempting to pull down a poster of the dictator — killed last week in an Israeli airstrike — when a man wearing a SpongeBob sweatshirt punched him in the face, sending him to the ground.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
7 Mar. 2026
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The Ayatollah ruled as a brutal dictator, killing and torturing his own people, imposing harsh restrictions on basic freedoms, and put the lives of our troops and global allies constantly at risk.—
Derek Tran,
Oc Register,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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All kings and tyrants fail in the end.—
Steve Lopez,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
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Killing the tyrant doesn’t assure the tyranny will end.—
Nolan Finley,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strongman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strongman. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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