Synonyms of tyranny

tyranny

noun

ˈtir-ə-nē 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dictatorship
• fascism
• despotism
• Communism
• autocracy
• totalitarianism
• authoritarianism
• absolutism
• monarchy
• oppression
• autarchy
• Caesarism
• totalism
• czarism
• domination
• Nazism
• monarchism
• monocracy
• Big Brother
• Big Brotherism

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• democracy
• freedom
• self-government
• self-rule
• self-governance
• sovereignty
• autonomy
• self-determination

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tyranny

In its vision of a desolate America ruled by tyranny and militia, the United States becomes, in the eyes of those who live in its pre-industrial ruins, an idealized symbol of better times. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 3 July 2026

Reading words in legal texts divorced from fundamental moral values will not save us from tyranny. — Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 2 July 2026

The only leaders more buffoonish and lethal than the fairground hucksters elected in our failing democracies are the omnipotent clowns of tyranny. — Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026

For every Founding Father looking to free the colonies from British tyranny, there was a Larry (often called Lawrence here) who suggests that sharing desserts and umbrellas should be prohibited by the Declaration of Independence. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 27 June 2026