despotism

noun

ˈde-spə-ˌti-zəm How to pronounce despotism (audio)
Definition of despotismnext
as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power by the end of the 20th century many countries around the world had rejected despotism in favor of democracy

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 despotism The hope is that the institutional reforms started by the interim administration of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus deliver the necessary checks and balances to avert another lurch toward despotism. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 28 Jan. 2026 The strength and powers of despotism consist wholly in the fear of resisting it. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 Nov. 2025 That’s authoritarian bluster of the sort heard in despotisms. — Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 4 Oct. 2025 The Bashar Assad regime’s collapse inspired a wave of optimism about despotism turning into democracy. — Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for despotism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despotism
  1. tyranny
  2. dictatorship
  3. fascism
  4. autocracy
Noun
  • Now, researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have thwarted that tyranny even more profoundly, by devising an ultra-fast way to steer light, using light itself as the steering wheel.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 Aug. 2026
  • While Queen Romana projected the image of a supreme ruler who alternated between benevolence and tyranny, Didulo the person was all too human.
    — Zander Sherman, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of tyranny
Noun
  • In 2021, the SAF and RSF worked together to overthrow the civilian Cabinet that was overseeing Sudan’s transition to democracy after 30 years of dictatorship under Omar al-Bashir.
    — Mat Nashed, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Not by tightening the siege on Iran directly, but by tightening the siege on those who help this regime, this terrible dictatorship.
    — Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of dictatorship
Noun
  • Those who advocate for and support communism, fascism and national socialism might do well to remember that millions fled those countries governed by the aforementioned ideologies for America, the good, ol’ USA.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The city is most associated with two things, European high culture and the rise of fascism.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of fascism
Noun
  • But each case demands attention from European and British police and intelligence agencies, which are already dealing with a range of similar threats from other autocracies such as China and Russia.
    — Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The transition from republic to autocracy is narrated through (imagined) letters and journals of his closest advisors, friends, and family.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of autocracy

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Cite this Entry

“Despotism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despotism. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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