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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Recent Examples of strongman
In the vacuum left by absent landlords and ineffective courts, communities turned instead to local strongmen—enforcers who offered protection for a price.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 May 2026
The former police officer rose to fame thanks to his close relationship with the strongman leader, who ruled the Philippines with an iron fist from 2016 to 2022, a period marked by his brutal war on drugs.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
Just beyond the respectable edges of Paris, among the soothsayers and strongmen, works Suzanne (Anaïs Demoustier).
—Ben Croll, IndieWire, 12 May 2026
Rácz has been interpreted as a foil to Vladimír Mečiar, a real-life politician who served as Slovakia’s prime minister between 1990 and 1998 and was heavily criticized for his autocratic tendencies, strongman persona, and ties to organized crime.
—Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strongman
Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 May 2026
The former police officer rose to fame thanks to his close relationship with the strongman leader, who ruled the Philippines with an iron fist from 2016 to 2022, a period marked by his brutal war on drugs.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
Just beyond the respectable edges of Paris, among the soothsayers and strongmen, works Suzanne (Anaïs Demoustier).
—Ben Croll, IndieWire, 12 May 2026
Rácz has been interpreted as a foil to Vladimír Mečiar, a real-life politician who served as Slovakia’s prime minister between 1990 and 1998 and was heavily criticized for his autocratic tendencies, strongman persona, and ties to organized crime.
—Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strongman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strongman
Noun
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One of the world’s most celebrated road trips owes its existence to a dictator’s obsession.—
Mark Johanson,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 June 2026
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The president’s controversial response to the article seemed to take aim at the column’s calls for order and authority, which Petro appeared to compare to the totalitarian regime under Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.—
Alfie Pannell,
Miami Herald,
8 June 2026
Noun
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The American origin story is rooted in the notion that George III was its vanquished villain, an irrational tyrant who oppressed the American colonists.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
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If anything, the story during the semiquincentennial casts George as more of a whole person than the tyrant depicted in the ad hominem complaints peppered throughout the Declaration of Independence.—
Laurie Kellman,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strongman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strongman. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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