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 formerly svelte star of Hollywood and The Politician also now has a comparable frame to Cavill, the product of hitting the gym for months before shooting his leading role in James Gunn's Superman (out July 11), which marks a fresh start for DC's Kryptonian strongman.
—
EW.com, 10 June 2025
The rooms were filled with artifacts of strongmen and strongwomen throughout history, including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Josephine Blatt, a turn-of-the-century weightlifter known as Minerva.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2025
The president’s Wednesday message about Xi echoes some of his past friendly and even admiring language toward the Chinese leader – one of a handful of strongmen that Trump has praised or lauded close relations with throughout his political career.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 4 June 2025
Journalists and scholars have drawn parallels between his leadership style and that of strongmen abroad.
—Daniel Treisman, The Conversation, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for strongman
EW.com, 10 June 2025
The rooms were filled with artifacts of strongmen and strongwomen throughout history, including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Josephine Blatt, a turn-of-the-century weightlifter known as Minerva.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2025
The president’s Wednesday message about Xi echoes some of his past friendly and even admiring language toward the Chinese leader – one of a handful of strongmen that Trump has praised or lauded close relations with throughout his political career.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 4 June 2025
Journalists and scholars have drawn parallels between his leadership style and that of strongmen abroad.
—Daniel Treisman, The Conversation, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for strongman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strongman
Noun
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Talks between Israel and Syria are ongoing, which would have been unthinkable during the reign of former dictator Bashar al-Assad, whose partnership with Iran and insistence that Israel hand over the Golan Heights to Damascus in exchange for normalization nipped any détente in the bud.—
Daniel R. DePetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
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The uniform marks him as a firefighter from the old regime of dictator Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in December 2024 after a nearly 14-year civil war.—
Lauren Frayer,
NPR,
10 July 2025
Noun
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The message would then be clear: The Russian tyrant won’t break Ukraine.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
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King George is a tyrant who is unfit to lead people.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
4 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Strongman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strongman. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
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