variants
also tyrannic
1
as in oppressive
exercising power or authority without interference by others
a tyrannical ruler whose terrible reign was marked by unceasing violence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in authoritarian
fond of ordering people around
even when he was still a toddler, he tended to be a tyrannical playmate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tyrannical
The Colbert episode did not prove that the agency is tyrannical or obsolete.
—
Jay Caruso, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
Given the tyrannical inferno that engulfed these precariously united states, my personal plights were mere embers, ashes, in the grand scheme of things.
—Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
In the 1953 steel-seizure case, Jackson concluded with a warning about the importance of parliamentary deliberation to check a tyrannical executive.
—Jeffrey Rosen, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026
The House of the Spirits is a family saga that charts the Trueba family through multiple generations, spanning violent social change and culminating in a crisis that hurls a tyrannical patriarch and his beloved granddaughter towards opposite sides of the fence.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tyrannical
Jay Caruso, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
Given the tyrannical inferno that engulfed these precariously united states, my personal plights were mere embers, ashes, in the grand scheme of things.
—Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
In the 1953 steel-seizure case, Jackson concluded with a warning about the importance of parliamentary deliberation to check a tyrannical executive.
—Jeffrey Rosen, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026
The House of the Spirits is a family saga that charts the Trueba family through multiple generations, spanning violent social change and culminating in a crisis that hurls a tyrannical patriarch and his beloved granddaughter towards opposite sides of the fence.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tyrannical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyrannical
Adjective
-
Another wonderful cold-season brassica, cauliflower can benefit from a head start indoors, which gives it time to be transplanted and reach maturity outdoors before the summer heat becomes too oppressive.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The pain and exhaustion and grief are so real and oppressive, the camera never dares set a foot outside.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Despite his progressive views, he was widely seen as an authoritarian and a despot.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Scientific institutions represent a potential pillar of support for an increasingly authoritarian government.—
Jenna Norton,
STAT,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In his ruling, Estudillo said the group failed to show that they were denied passes because of their political affiliations — which would be a violation of their First Amendment rights — and failed to show that the process was arbitrary, which would have violated their due process rights.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Teaching of the Kurdish language is restricted, Kurdish names are banned from official registration, and Kurdish activists face arbitrary detention.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Adam McKay’s toxically smug dissection of Dick Cheney fails to take the full measure of this monstrous vice-president, but even so, Bale taps into something elemental about the man’s arrogance and domineering personality.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Sophie Turner plays Anne, living in the countryside and struggling in poverty with her domineering mother-in-law Morwen (Harden).—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Those thousands of Iranians who poured out on the streets of Tehran were supposed to be calling for the toppling of the autocratic Islamist regime.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Memories of the shah's autocratic rule remain mixed in the country, although nostalgia for the period's economic prosperity has grown.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Planning for more than 11 contests out of Dobbins, something only produced twice over his first six NFL seasons, isn’t just arrogant.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Capitalize on the overwhelming support for legislative transparency and Spilka, Mariano and Attorney General Andea Campbell’s arrogant refusal to implement it.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The monarchist movement has not governed Iran since 1979, and its corrupt, despotic leader was overthrown in the revolution.—
Farah N. Jan,
The Conversation,
10 Mar. 2026
-
My ability to complete Ballot during a genocide and despotic takeover hinged on confronting these uncomfortable truths.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Aggressive, a bit dictatorial’.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
They are aimed at liberty, normalization and everything dictatorial theocracy fears most.—
Calev Myers,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tyrannical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyrannical. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
