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
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Recent Examples of tyrant
Commitment to these basic facts — that Trump is a tyrant and Congress needs to act now to get him out of the White House — will be a major litmus test for any 2026 candidate.
—
Naperville Sun, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
Hope: Ultimately, the protests suggest the possibility that, eventually, an overwhelming majority of Palestinians will never again allow themselves to be ruled by revanchist tyrants of any shade.
—Bret Stephens, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2025
Synopsis: Before kings and empires feared him, a tyrant sought to erase him.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2025
JoAnn Lee Frank, Clearwater ‘Unelected judicial tyrants’ Rise up, Americans.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tyrant
Naperville Sun, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
Hope: Ultimately, the protests suggest the possibility that, eventually, an overwhelming majority of Palestinians will never again allow themselves to be ruled by revanchist tyrants of any shade.
—Bret Stephens, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2025
Synopsis: Before kings and empires feared him, a tyrant sought to erase him.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2025
JoAnn Lee Frank, Clearwater ‘Unelected judicial tyrants’ Rise up, Americans.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tyrant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyrant
Noun
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Even Matyas Rakosi, Hungary's most brutal communist dictator, refused to move his office here, but Orban wants to play king, so the national gallery will eventually need to be moved out of the castle to make way for him.—
Rob Schmitz,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2025
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The drawdown also comes after the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad’s regime in December.—
Ellen Mitchell,
The Hill,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tyrant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyrant. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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