Thesaurus results for TYRANT

tyrant

noun

ˈtī-rənt

as in dictator

a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way the people universally feared the tyrant, who was notorious for his frequent use of torture

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of tyrant The lesson of history is that appeasement and hope are not a strategy against a bloodthirsty tyrant. —

U.s. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Hartford Courant, 28 Feb. 2026 Aspiring tyrants inevitably promise security and food on the table. —

Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026 West Canaan Coyotes coach Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight) is a racist tyrant who pushes his players past their limit in order to win. —

Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2026 When a tyrant falls, we may be tempted to imagine a final moment of tragic self-awareness—a personal reckoning, like Oedipus blinding himself, or Macbeth raging on the heath. —

Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tyrant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyrant

dictator

Noun

The 1961 assassination of Rafael Trujillo, the dictator of the Dominican Republic, is one example.

— Ryan Lucas, NPR, 17 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, sectarian violence, terrorist groups and a civil war have ravaged Syria, whose dictator, Bashar al-Assad, fled in 2024 after two plus-decades of repressive rule.

— Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026