TYRANNICAL Synonyms: 101 Similar and Opposite Words

tyrannical

adjective

tə-ˈra-ni-kəl

variants also tyrannic

Definition of tyrannical

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

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 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 Independence for the 13 colonies was in the interest of anyone, anywhere, who believed the only remedy for tyrannical authority was for people to govern themselves. — Michael Kazin, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for tyrannical

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyrannical

Adjective

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
The Broncos also have a truly oppressive defense, and hit hard enough to turn the Chiefs’ fragile receivers into dust.

— J.J. Bailey, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of oppressive

Adjective

Dejan Pavlovic, from Belgrade’s Faculty of Political Sciences, drew a comparison with an election this year in Hungary that swept from power another authoritarian, Viktor Orbán.

— Ivana Bzganovic, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Meanwhile, authoritarian regimes are on the rise across the planet, including in the United States.

— Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of authoritarian

Adjective

Vucic has pushed hard against the protesters, sparking international concern over police violence and arbitrary detentions.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Vucic has pushed hard against the protesters as the government faced international criticism over police violence and arbitrary detentions of demonstrators.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 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

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
At a Sunday rally in Georgia, Ossoff needled Trump for accepting a new Air Force One plane from the autocratic monarchy of Qatar and for reportedly hiding in a catering truck to switch to a different plane in Turkey last month.

— Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 20 Aug. 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

Browse Nearby Words

typing

tyrannical

tyrannically

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Tyrannical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyrannical. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of tyrannical

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

hobnob

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes