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
Bishnoi enrolled in Panjab University, an institution that has long served as a direct pipeline for the region’s future political strongmen and, in some cases, its most notorious criminals.
—
Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
For decades, the strongmen had been extremely close, with Hun Sen appointing Thaksin as an economic advisor to the Cambodian government following the 2006 putsch.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 15 Sep. 2025
And this matters now more than ever, during a time when universities are dismantling their humanities programs and being pressured into pandering to authoritarian strongmen.
—Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
For decades, the strongmen had been extremely close, with Hun Sen appointing Thaksin as an economic advisor to the Cambodian government following the 2006 putsch.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 15 Sep. 2025
And this matters now more than ever, during a time when universities are dismantling their humanities programs and being pressured into pandering to authoritarian strongmen.
—Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strongmen
Noun
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The author understood how power works, and the lengths that people, classes, political parties and dictators would go to keep it.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
2 Oct. 2025
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Declaring war on our nation’s cities and using our troops as political pawns is what dictators do.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And while the band's frontman Freddie Mercury only made it into his 40s, the song's question continues to haunt people—especially aging tyrants who fear that the icy hand of death is upon their shoulder and want far more time to ensure both national and personal glory.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
3 Sep. 2025
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But by positioning this as a story of a younger generation refusing to cede their liberties to tyrants, Loktev has made a film about resistance, putting a human face on the daily struggles concerned citizens must endure to take back their country.—
Tim Grierson,
Rolling Stone,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Strongmen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strongmen. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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