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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tyranny
Paine was a republican who wanted the Americans to break free from the political bounds of Great Britain, from the tyranny of the monarchy.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
The tyranny of distance There is no evidence of intelligent alien life in our solar system.
—Kai James, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
The fictional Operant Bureau of Zero Parades would insist otherwise; the future is all that remains, the tyranny of narrative history consigned to a past best left forgotten.
—Alex James Kane, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Her tyranny extends to a sweatshop in China where her clothing gets made.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tyranny
Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
The tyranny of distance There is no evidence of intelligent alien life in our solar system.
—Kai James, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
The fictional Operant Bureau of Zero Parades would insist otherwise; the future is all that remains, the tyranny of narrative history consigned to a past best left forgotten.
—Alex James Kane, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Her tyranny extends to a sweatshop in China where her clothing gets made.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tyranny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyranny
Noun
-
Leo has been emphasizing a message of hope for youths in Spain, a once overwhelmingly Catholic country that experienced a religious crisis after its 20th century dictatorship ended and democracy took root.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
-
Portugal is a good example—after the dictatorship ended in 1974, there was a push to modernize, and many traditional crafts weren’t passed down.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Footwear News,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
While India’s media landscape has largely retreated in the face of the Hindu right’s fascism, Kandasamy is one of the few consistently at the barricades.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
-
Talking to Deadline ahead of the screening, Loach says the conflict still resonates with the Left to this day as the first international fight against fascism.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
His dream was nothing less than a new reality, a hopeful future free of despotism, ruled by equality and liberty, rather than kings and queens.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
The book circles political concerns that remain relevant today, including empire, caste prejudice, and the dangers of despotism and corruption.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Once in office, Putin installed Vadim as an adviser to help consolidate his administration into an autocracy responsible for the suppression of civil liberties, for wars in Chechnya and Ukraine, and for a campaign of disinformation and interference in Western democracies.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
-
If Magyar fails to fix the system and deliver results, a return to autocracy would be likely.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His parents’ experience living under totalitarianism shaped his outlook on the world.—
Iris Kwok
May 12,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
-
Another totalitarianism, so recently an ally, was already on the march.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Similar charges were leveled against several other rival candidates ahead of the election, spurring accusations of authoritarianism and corruption against Pashinyan’s government.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
8 June 2026
-
The author became a prominent voice on exile, women's freedom and authoritarianism, frequently using her public platform to denounce repression in Iran.—
Hugo Lhomedet,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
In fact, that kind of absolutism is a good way to become part of another kind of silencing, another kind of injustice.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
The result is the extreme polarization and absolutism.—
Andrew Cuomo,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tyranny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyranny. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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