variants
also tsarism
or tzarism
as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
historically, during times of national crisis, people have looked to czarism as an answer to their fears
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of czarism
Like so many at the time, Paustovsky had hopes of a democratic future with the end of czarism.
—
Douglas Smith, WSJ, 13 Sep. 2022
The difference between czarism and Leninism is the one between absolutism and totalitarianism.
—Josef Joffe, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2017
With the collapse of czarism, this commitment to gradual reform and the development of parliamentary institutions seemed outdated.
—Carolyn Harris, Smithsonian, 13 Apr. 2017
Douglas Smith, WSJ, 13 Sep. 2022
The difference between czarism and Leninism is the one between absolutism and totalitarianism.
—Josef Joffe, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2017
With the collapse of czarism, this commitment to gradual reform and the development of parliamentary institutions seemed outdated.
—Carolyn Harris, Smithsonian, 13 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for czarism
Noun
-
Establishing an entirely new and competing agency is merely the pursuit of a bureaucratic gravy train, and providing it with incentives to abuse power in order to boost its own coffers is an invitation to tyranny.—
Adam Summers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Yet, by God’s grace, my Hispanic grandparents immigrated to the United States on July 4, 1976, and have cherished the freedoms from tyranny that have come with living here ever since.—
Stephen Mitchell,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The banner, more reminiscent of the way leaders are plastered on government buildings in a dictatorship like North Korea, is just the type of gesture the president expects.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Fifty years ago, just after the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, about 90% of residents were Catholic.—
Alexis Marshall,
NPR,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Her works explored Oedipal urges and creeping fascism.—
Laura Regensdorf,
Vogue,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Hungary had a very weak civil society after 70 years of totalitarian fascism and communism.—
John Shattuck,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Czarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/czarism. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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