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
But for decades, every attempt to do this effectively has been met with howls of protest, as though the slightest bit of regulation on the curriculum of a private school is tantamount to anti-American tyranny.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 23 June 2025
This position does not mean in any way ignoring four decades of mismanagement, corruption, oppression, tyranny and incompetence of the Islamic Republic.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 18 June 2025
Ever since America’s founders decided that the best way to prevent tyranny was to diffuse power across branches of government, those branches of government have competed for authority.
—Jacob Turcotte, Christian Science Monitor, 17 June 2025
For 249 years the USA really hasn't tolerated kings or tyranny, yet this president continues to push ever-harder at those Constitutional barriers.
—James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tyranny
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 23 June 2025
This position does not mean in any way ignoring four decades of mismanagement, corruption, oppression, tyranny and incompetence of the Islamic Republic.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 18 June 2025
Ever since America’s founders decided that the best way to prevent tyranny was to diffuse power across branches of government, those branches of government have competed for authority.
—Jacob Turcotte, Christian Science Monitor, 17 June 2025
For 249 years the USA really hasn't tolerated kings or tyranny, yet this president continues to push ever-harder at those Constitutional barriers.
—James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tyranny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyranny
Noun
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But just as important to the Poles living under Soviet dictatorship were art books, fashion magazines, religious texts, lighthearted novels and regular newspapers.—
Valorie Castellanos Clark,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2025
-
Nearly 50 years into an unwanted dictatorship, Iranians have developed a refined capacity for identifying bad faith.—
Shervin Malekzadeh,
Mercury News,
26 June 2025
Noun
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The New York Times selected it as a Notable Book of the Year in 1994, praising its examination of racial justice, climate collapse and fascism.—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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The inspiration comes from the fact that fascism and dictatorship didn’t end with World War II in reality either.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
27 June 2025
Noun
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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
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Now American culture bows down to Anna Wintour’s despotism.—
Armond White,
National Review,
9 May 2025
Noun
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Obama warns America ‘dangerously close’ to slipping into autocracy | RISING Robby Soave and Niall Stanage react to new commentary from former President Obama warning about the future of American Democracy.—
The Hill,
The Hill,
19 June 2025
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The good news is that the slide into autocracy isn’t inevitable for the U.S.—
Dan Vergano,
Scientific American,
14 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 15 Jul. 2025.
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