1
as in oppressive
exercising power or authority without interference by others
studied the tyrannous rule of Stalin, communist dictator of the Soviet Union
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in authoritarian
fond of ordering people around
my older sister is a tyrannous bore who isn't happy unless she's in charge
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Recent Examples of tyrannous
These tyrannous tabbies don’t understand that canning is not exclusively for wet food.
—
Julie Klausner, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
Indeed, Daniel Roher’s pulse-pumping documentary about the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has all the ingredients: a mysterious case of near-fatal poisoning, a web of for-hire hoodlums, Vladimir Putin as the tyrannous leader behind it all.
—Tomris Laffly, Harper's BAZAAR, 1 Feb. 2022
The same study posited that Fela was not the only popular musician who confronted the military and tyrannous leaders of Nigeria between independence in 1960 and Fela’s passing in 1997.
—Garhe Osiebe, Quartz Africa, 21 Feb. 2021
The patriarchs of their respective homes, Polonius (Peter Friedman) and Claudius (Ritchie Coster) enthrone themselves on the toilet, oblivious of the tumult their tyrannous treachery has wreaked. Syringes creepily replace swords.
—Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 19 Aug. 2017
Julie Klausner, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
Indeed, Daniel Roher’s pulse-pumping documentary about the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has all the ingredients: a mysterious case of near-fatal poisoning, a web of for-hire hoodlums, Vladimir Putin as the tyrannous leader behind it all.
—Tomris Laffly, Harper's BAZAAR, 1 Feb. 2022
The same study posited that Fela was not the only popular musician who confronted the military and tyrannous leaders of Nigeria between independence in 1960 and Fela’s passing in 1997.
—Garhe Osiebe, Quartz Africa, 21 Feb. 2021
The patriarchs of their respective homes, Polonius (Peter Friedman) and Claudius (Ritchie Coster) enthrone themselves on the toilet, oblivious of the tumult their tyrannous treachery has wreaked. Syringes creepily replace swords.
—Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 19 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyrannous
Adjective
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Global organization Human Rights Watch accused the festival of diverting attention away from allegations of the government’s severe repression of free speech and criticized comedians for performing on the behest of an oppressive regime.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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The oppressive rule has led to nations cutting off aid, leading to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The developments led Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s socialist and authoritarian leader, to threaten to declare a state of emergency earlier this week.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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The book is a policy handbook meant to address the realities of political life following the turmoil of the French Revolution, presenting a Christian alternative to both the authoritarian secular liberalism and counterrevolutionary movements of the day.—
Indianapolis Star,
IndyStar,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Cuba’s leaders have pursued a slow, narrow and sometimes arbitrary path toward economic privatization – especially when contrasted with other officially communist countries in Asia.—
Joseph J. Gonzalez,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
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The unions have asked the court to declare that both OMB and OPM have exceeded their statutory authority and acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner, and to invalidate any actions that may come from the memos and guidance issued.—
Franco Ordoñez,
NPR,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
But as Blitzer points out, the Magnificent 7's domineering influence does not mean the S&P 500 is broken.—
Alex Mayyasi,
NPR,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Managers often grow more assertive (sometimes drifting into domineering).—
Dave Winsborough,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Jack Cutmore-Scott as Julius Beaufort, an arrogant new money banker at the center of New York society with an interest in Ellen.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Jean stepped out as Nia approached—lean and arrogant, a cigarette pinched between her lips.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Fox reclaims the notorious lady-in-waiting from centuries of scandal, revealing a sharp-witted, politically savvy woman caught in the tyrannical court of Henry VIII.—
Phillipa Gregory,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
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Once stuck in the past, Ji-yeon must use her culinary prowess to stay alive under the notoriously tyrannical rule of King Lee Heon (Hierarchy’s Lee Chae-min).—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The emergency has become the rule, transforming exceptional powers into the ordinary machinery of despotic governance.—
Beatriz Magaloni,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Sep. 2025
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This is how legal systems in despotic regimes operate.—
Andrew Binns,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Fears are growing among Venezuela’s leadership that the true goal of the US deployment is toppling the autocratic regime of President Nicolás Maduro, though some warn a military intervention could further destabilize the country.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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That same energy appears to be in the streets of Belgrade now, sustained by a new generation of citizens standing firm against the tactic of a different autocratic leader.—
Hanna Begić,
The Conversation,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tyrannous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyrannous. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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