tyrannical
adjective
ty·ran·ni·cal
tə-ˈra-ni-kəl 
tī-
variants
or less commonly tyrannic
tə-ˈra-nik
tī-
Synonyms
Examples of tyrannical in a Sentence
Everyone was afraid of their overbearing and tyrannical boss.
a tyrannical ruler whose terrible reign was marked by unceasing violence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dalio, who stepped down in 2022, was an almost cartoonishly tyrannical boss whose staffers were directed to narc on one another for even the pettiest of problems, according to reporting from the New York Times’ Rob Copeland.
—
Allison Morrow, CNN, 11 Sep. 2024
Now, after years of fits-and-starts development, the 86-year-old Scott returns to the arena, with Paul Mescal stepping into the sandals of Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and nephew of the tyrannical Commodus, originally played by Joaquin Phoenix.
—Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2024
Leading his fellow countrymen, Tell embarks on a courageous rebellion, seeking to defend their liberty and stand against the tyrannical forces that seek to subjugate them.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2024
One of the most recent works to draw extensively from these myths and narratives is Kaos, an eight-part Netflix series that revolves around a gutsy scheme to dethrone an insecure, tyrannical Zeus (played by Jeff Goldblum).
—Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tyrannical 
Allison Morrow, CNN, 11 Sep. 2024
Now, after years of fits-and-starts development, the 86-year-old Scott returns to the arena, with Paul Mescal stepping into the sandals of Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and nephew of the tyrannical Commodus, originally played by Joaquin Phoenix.
—Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2024
Leading his fellow countrymen, Tell embarks on a courageous rebellion, seeking to defend their liberty and stand against the tyrannical forces that seek to subjugate them.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2024
One of the most recent works to draw extensively from these myths and narratives is Kaos, an eight-part Netflix series that revolves around a gutsy scheme to dethrone an insecure, tyrannical Zeus (played by Jeff Goldblum).
—Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tyrannical
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tyrannical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tyrannical
Cite this Entry
“Tyrannical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tyrannical. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tyrannical
adjective
ty·ran·ni·cal
tə-ˈran-i-kəl
tī-
variants
also tyrannic
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a tyrant or tyranny
a tyrannical ruler
tyrannical rule
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