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 domineering
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 film, based on Georges Simenon’s 1950 novel, stars Depardieu as a celebrated but tyrannical actor grappling with personal and professional decline.
—
Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2025
What is the character of those who bear false witness and favor Russia’s tyrannical lies over Ukrainians’ unalienable rights?
—Mark Sandy, TIME, 14 Mar. 2025
The Constitution that resulted outlined a separation of powers between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, serving together as a system of checks and balances to prevent the kind of tyrannical rule that the colonies fought to free themselves from.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, TIME, 20 Feb. 2025
The tyrannical showrunner, Cal, is our victim of the week, done in by his (in her mind) long-suffering leading lady, Regina Coburn (Laurie Metcalf, what a get!), who finally has a chance to put her classical training to work in a production of Macbeth in London.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tyrannical
Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2025
What is the character of those who bear false witness and favor Russia’s tyrannical lies over Ukrainians’ unalienable rights?
—Mark Sandy, TIME, 14 Mar. 2025
The Constitution that resulted outlined a separation of powers between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, serving together as a system of checks and balances to prevent the kind of tyrannical rule that the colonies fought to free themselves from.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, TIME, 20 Feb. 2025
The tyrannical showrunner, Cal, is our victim of the week, done in by his (in her mind) long-suffering leading lady, Regina Coburn (Laurie Metcalf, what a get!), who finally has a chance to put her classical training to work in a production of Macbeth in London.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tyrannical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyrannical
Adjective
-
And this immensely oppressive power threatens the very foundation of legal representation in our country.—
Tom Dreisbach,
NPR,
29 Apr. 2025
-
However, because ecocriticism emerged in American studies prior to the field’s transnational turn, during a time that emphasized the localized subject as resistance to an oppressive nation-state, ecocritical thought has struggled to adapt.—
Abby Clayton,
JSTOR Daily,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
As mild-mannered schoolteacher Mr. Lisbon, James Woods plays a quiet counterpoint to his domineering wife.—
Sezin Devi Koehler,
EW.com,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Among them towers the frighteningly domineering Honoria Glossop.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
His parents were Italian immigrants who fled Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime, and his grandmother Rosa Margherita Vassallo di Bergoglio was active in Catholic Action, formed by Italian bishops who wanted to maintain their independence from Mussolini’s authoritarian rule.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been called an authoritarian, and previous reports have noted restrictions to civil liberties.—
Graham Smith,
NPR,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Thanks for all the laughs, the Kiki, the listening hear, shoulder the cry, the reading for filth, the masterful shade and endless love.—
Marc Berman,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
-
Tony Gilroy’s masterful series is so good that the sci-fi Star Wars of it all sometimes seems irrelevant compared to the nuanced takes on resistance and fascism.—
James Grebey,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Critics, including autocratic governments across the region, view it as a threat.—
Omar Akour,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
-
This new, more favorable vision of Russia was developing its own intellectual architecture, one that married isolationism, nationalism and traditionalism with a growing appreciation for autocratic strongmen who were bending their countries to their will.—
Eric Jason Martin Tanya Pérez Ted Blaisdell,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In these ways, Trump’s despotic acts are indeed without precedent in American history.—
Patrick Eddington,
Oc Register,
20 Apr. 2025
-
It was first created in 1942 specifically to serve as a foil to Axis disinformation and over the years became a beacon of hope to people living under all manner of totalitarian and despotic governments.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Most times, these changes are a result of the over-analysis of some arbitrary KPIs meant to gauge the health and growth of the platform.—
Solo Ceesay,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2025
-
In short, protectionism grants states too much arbitrary power to intervene in the market and thus spawns more platforms for the exchange of political favors.—
JAVIER CORRALES,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele may have found the best description for Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s new approach to dictatorial regimes: a laughing emoji.—
Mary Ellen Klas,
Mercury News,
12 Apr. 2025
-
In late March, Ahmad al-Shara, Syria’s new leader, introduced a caretaker government that would supervise the country’s transition from five decades of dictatorial rule.—
Jerome Drevon,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tyrannical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyrannical. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share