as in dictators
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of strongmen
Latin America is swinging rightward again, electing presidents who promise to channel the strongmen of yore and rule the region through might, not right.
—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2026
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
Just beyond the respectable edges of Paris, among the soothsayers and strongmen, works Suzanne (Anaïs Demoustier).
—
Ben Croll,
IndieWire,
12 May 2026
Min Aung Hlaing’s ascent to the presidency follows a tradition of military strongmen installing themselves as the nation’s top leader and seeking to legitimize their rule through unfair elections.
—
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
America does not belong to strongmen, greedy billionaires, or those who rule through fear.
—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
28 Mar. 2026
With such a destructive geopolitical conflict driven by several strongmen leaders, the industry was always going to feel the ramifications.
—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2026
Nor do strongmen have a pristine record as economic stewards.
—
Alaa Shahine Salha,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
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
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2026
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
Just beyond the respectable edges of Paris, among the soothsayers and strongmen, works Suzanne (Anaïs Demoustier).
—
Ben Croll,
IndieWire,
12 May 2026
Min Aung Hlaing’s ascent to the presidency follows a tradition of military strongmen installing themselves as the nation’s top leader and seeking to legitimize their rule through unfair elections.
—
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
America does not belong to strongmen, greedy billionaires, or those who rule through fear.
—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
28 Mar. 2026
With such a destructive geopolitical conflict driven by several strongmen leaders, the industry was always going to feel the ramifications.
—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2026
Nor do strongmen have a pristine record as economic stewards.
—
Alaa Shahine Salha,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strongmen
Noun
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Will people who flee dictators and endless poverty be permitted lawfully to cross America’s shores and borders in search of a better life?
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Russian athletes are routinely asked to answer for the actions of their government, yet athletes from other countries are rarely subjected to the same scrutiny or treated as though they are personally aligned with war criminals or dictators.
Noun
-
Aegon, dragged out of King’s Landing by spymaster Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) in an effort to save him from the fratricidal Aemond, gets an up-close look at the petty tyrants who have sprouted up in the countryside thanks to his impetuous rule.
-
Examples range from businesses like Enron, Tyco, and Bernie Madoff, along with historical tyrants like Stalin or Hitler to modern figures like Putin, and industries like tobacco that knowingly harm users for profit.
Cite this Entry
“Strongmen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strongmen. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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