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Autos in Greek means "same" or "self", so in an autocratic government all the power is held by the leader him- or herself. Autocratic governments are often called dictatorships, or sometimes autocracies. In everyday life, a teacher, a parent, or a football coach can all behave like autocrats as well.
Synonyms
Examples of autocratic in a Sentence
democracy is supposed to protect the people against the rise of autocratic rulers
an autocratic Boy Scout leader who is under the delusion that he's still an army colonel
Recent Examples on the Web
Authoritarian movements commonly embrace the notion that their country’s institutions have been subverted by enemies; autocratic leaders including Erdogan, Orban, and Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro routinely push such claims.
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Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
Musk is staging a coup, using tactics similar to those used by the autocratic Viktor Orbán of Hungary.
—Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025
Protesters worry that the country’s current autocratic turn may become irreversible.
—Anthony Borden, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2025
In some places, Colombians are fleeing into Venezuela — home to its own humanitarian crisis — and the Venezuelan autocratic leader there, Nicolás Maduro, has promised to send them aid.
—Julie Turkewitz, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025
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Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
Musk is staging a coup, using tactics similar to those used by the autocratic Viktor Orbán of Hungary.
—Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025
Protesters worry that the country’s current autocratic turn may become irreversible.
—Anthony Borden, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2025
In some places, Colombians are fleeing into Venezuela — home to its own humanitarian crisis — and the Venezuelan autocratic leader there, Nicolás Maduro, has promised to send them aid.
—Julie Turkewitz, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for autocratic
Dictionary Entries Near autocratic
Cite this Entry
“Autocratic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autocratic. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
autocratic
adjective
au·to·crat·ic
ˌȯt-ə-ˈkrat-ik 
: of, relating to, or resembling autocracy or an autocrat
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