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tyrannical

adjective

tə-ˈra-ni-kəl How to pronounce tyrannical (audio)
variants also tyrannic
Definition of tyrannicalnext
1
as in oppressive
exercising power or authority without interference by others a tyrannical ruler whose terrible reign was marked by unceasing violence

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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

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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 2015 action film, set in a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland, stars Theron as warrior Imperator Furiosa, who leads the daring escape of female prisoners from a tyrannical ruler. — Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 23 Aug. 2026 Ayatollah Khomeini portrayed the shah as the tyrannical Yazid and himself as a Husayn-like figure returning from exile to save the Iranian people from injustice. — Iqbal Akhtar, The Conversation, 31 July 2026 The Hawaiians viewed the new rules as tyrannical; those with the disease were wont to hide in the hills of the islands, forever on the run. — Literary Hub, 20 July 2026 Woody and Buzz have survived sadistic neighbors, evil toys and tyrannical daycare rulers. — Rachel Hale, USA Today, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for tyrannical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyrannical
  1. oppressive
  2. authoritarian
  3. arbitrary
  4. domineering
  5. autocratic
  6. arrogant
  7. despotic
  8. dictatorial
Adjective
  • There’s always another internet grift for someone looking to save himself fast, and without any gimmicky visual intrusions, the film feels authentically tuned into the aspirational mentality and oppressive reality of contemporary social media.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Amid an oppressive stretch of extreme heat and Florida-esque humidity that has been punishing much of California, consider, for a moment, the Ice Age.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of oppressive
Adjective
  • The Bulwark founder on how to build a coalition durable enough to defeat authoritarian populism.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • On the one hand, the film pays witness to all the authoritarian insanity unfolding at state houses around the country.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of authoritarian
Adjective
  • The economists suggest the tax rules are arbitrary and unfair.
    — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Ware pointed to a resilient economy and steady core inflation, arguing that stocks would be more vulnerable to a slowdown in either consumer spending or artificial-intelligence investment than to the 10-year crossing an arbitrary threshold.
    — Sean Conlon,Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of arbitrary
Adjective
  • She’s played with a darkly enigmatic, unnerving quality by James in her finest work to date — a knowing, even domineering smile often curling around her lips.
    — Tomris Laffly, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Rebecca Hall, playing his elegantly domineering wife, gets even less.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of domineering
Adjective
  • Bukele, the autocratic leader of El Salvador, anticipated the revolution.
    — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026
  • But almost no government—northern or southern, democratic or autocratic—wants to see so many people go hungry.
    — Anna Nelson, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of autocratic
Adjective
  • Everybody on our side understands that impeachment is a critical tool in the toolbox for constitutional self-defense against a president acting like a king, an imperious, lawless, arrogant king.
    — NBC news, NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Most obviously, front and center, and in endlessly intrusive close-up, there’s Pattinson — who also serves as producer — playing the arrogant, fame-addicted, megalomaniac Hansen.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of arrogant
Adjective
  • Any transgression of new standards of speech and behavior could put someone at risk of social banishment, in the truly despotic shape of cancellation.
    — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The comedy of errors that follows as Ina attempts to solve the nation’s problems, from traffic congestion to energy crisis, doubles as a critique of the despotic regime and the tumult of living in such hellish times.
    — Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of despotic
Adjective
  • Standing before her guards, the increasingly dictatorial ruler proclaims herself as the Chosen One to the people of King's Landing.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
  • In 2024, Margo is hired to find the book that disappeared, along with many others, through the dictatorial years.
    — The Know, Denver Post, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of dictatorial

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Cite this Entry

“Tyrannical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyrannical. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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