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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.
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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
For instance, a study examining various leadership styles found that transformational leadership positively correlates with enhanced organizational performance, while transactional and autocratic styles may have less favorable effects.
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Scott Hutcheson, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
The other is going to build authoritarian, autocratic AI.
—Micah McCartney, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
Trump has for years drawn criticism from Democrats over his relationship with Putin, with opponents accusing the president-elect of being too friendly and accommodating with the autocratic leader of Russia.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 10 Jan. 2025
The private sector did not adequately consider the dangers of having supply chains concentrated in autocratic regimes.
—Katherine Tai, Foreign Affairs, 9 Jan. 2025
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Scott Hutcheson, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
The other is going to build authoritarian, autocratic AI.
—Micah McCartney, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
Trump has for years drawn criticism from Democrats over his relationship with Putin, with opponents accusing the president-elect of being too friendly and accommodating with the autocratic leader of Russia.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 10 Jan. 2025
The private sector did not adequately consider the dangers of having supply chains concentrated in autocratic regimes.
—Katherine Tai, Foreign Affairs, 9 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 30 Jan. 2025.
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autocratic
adjective
au·to·crat·ic
ˌȯt-ə-ˈkrat-ik 
: of, relating to, or resembling autocracy or an autocrat
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