as in dictator
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
a Latin-American strongman who basically treated his nation's coffers as his personal bank account
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Recent Examples of strongman
In May 2023, the Turkish opposition came within a few points of beating a long-ruling populist strongman, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, despite fielding an uninspiring candidate who failed to offer a convincing agenda for economic improvement.
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Larry Diamond, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024
Attunement to the longing for an all-knowing strongman who ensures safety helps sharpen the warnings about his abuses and violations.
—Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024
In the heat of the moment, Petro decided to talk to Maduro about an idea: the leftist strongman should propose a climate pact with the country’s opposition leaders to wean Venezuela off oil.
—Justin Worland/bogotá, TIME, 29 Oct. 2024
The president-elect is condemned by critics as a dangerous isolationist who emboldens strongmen and hailed by supporters as a forthright defender of American interests, and most observers at least agree that a second Trump era will be unpredictable.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for strongman 
Larry Diamond, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024
Attunement to the longing for an all-knowing strongman who ensures safety helps sharpen the warnings about his abuses and violations.
—Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024
In the heat of the moment, Petro decided to talk to Maduro about an idea: the leftist strongman should propose a climate pact with the country’s opposition leaders to wean Venezuela off oil.
—Justin Worland/bogotá, TIME, 29 Oct. 2024
The president-elect is condemned by critics as a dangerous isolationist who emboldens strongmen and hailed by supporters as a forthright defender of American interests, and most observers at least agree that a second Trump era will be unpredictable.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for strongman
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Cite this Entry
“Strongman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strongman. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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