as in dictatorship
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
a popular uprising replaced that nation's tyranny with freedom and democracy
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tyranny
The once-famous case of Ebenezer Smith Platt reminds us that widespread attention to acts of tyranny that violate foundational rights is critical to maintaining those rights.
—
Time, 9 July 2025
Due process is one of the principles that is supposed to separate the United States from lands of tyranny.
—Scott Maxwell, Sun Sentinel, 22 July 2025
To serve humanity, aid must cease serving tyranny and terror.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
On Father’s Day, two men who almost lost their daughters to the tyranny of patriarchal society are coming together on behalf of the #StandWithHer campaign.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tyranny
Time, 9 July 2025
Due process is one of the principles that is supposed to separate the United States from lands of tyranny.
—Scott Maxwell, Sun Sentinel, 22 July 2025
To serve humanity, aid must cease serving tyranny and terror.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
On Father’s Day, two men who almost lost their daughters to the tyranny of patriarchal society are coming together on behalf of the #StandWithHer campaign.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tyranny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyranny
Noun
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Instead, the Islamic Republic survives as a massively unpopular dictatorship, economically ruined, internationally isolated, and battered by both the U.S. and Israel.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
5 Aug. 2025
-
This, in turn spawned totalitarian dictatorships and led to World War II.—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
29 July 2025
Noun
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Stephen Graybill performs this audiobook with the skill of a newscaster who’s recounting revelation upon revelation about the spies on both sides of the war (and the Atlantic) who were using their skills to urge Americans to join the desperate struggle against fascism, or not.—
AudioFile Magazine
July 31,
Literary Hub,
31 July 2025
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Colbert has consistently called out Donald Trump and slammed the media’s growing cowardice in the face of fascism.—
Lizz Winstead,
Rolling Stone,
25 July 2025
Noun
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If not for our nation’s First Amendment, our country could quickly resemble a despotism where police forces attack reporters and quash news reports that diverge from the official view.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
15 July 2025
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Can that Huntington Beach teach the rest of us a thing — or thirty — not just about how to stand up to despotism, but how to beat it back?—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2025
Noun
-
One autocracy was over, another was just beginning.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
13 July 2025
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This liberal segment hopes that the country’s democratic institutions will keep it from sinking into autocracy.—
ANDREI KOLESNIKOV,
Foreign Affairs,
9 May 2025
Noun
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Mao had also fully grasped the natural suitability of photographic and filmic media for the broadcasting and cognitive technologies of totalitarianism.—
Nan Z. Da
June 10,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2025
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Hannah Arendt and the Fight for the Truth (Public Books) by John Plotz Hannah Arendt famously wrote about totalitarianism.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
27 May 2025
Noun
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The idea that executive absolutism can be stopped by a single district judge is a romantic but inaccurate one.—
George Liebmann,
Baltimore Sun,
2 July 2025
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Its champions gradually came to reinterpret the end of licensing as a natural consequence of the Revolution of 1688—part of the progression from tyrannical absolutism to parliamentary monarchy.—
Fara Dabhoiwala,
Harpers Magazine,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tyranny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyranny. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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