variants
also tyrannic
1
as in oppressive
exercising power or authority without interference by others
a tyrannical ruler whose terrible reign was marked by unceasing violence
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2
as in domineering
fond of ordering people around
even when he was still a toddler, he tended to be a tyrannical playmate
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Recent Examples of tyrannical
The English cancer derives from the Latin word for crab; the creatures are hard and tyrannical, taking a sideways approach and running rampant and unbridled.
—
Yiyun Li, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
Using his fertile imagination, Thomas finds a way out, and perhaps even a solution to his dad’s tyrannical regime.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 16 Oct. 2024
Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2024
But when the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome conquer his new home, he is captured and, like his father, forced to become a gladiator.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 23 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tyrannical 
Yiyun Li, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
Using his fertile imagination, Thomas finds a way out, and perhaps even a solution to his dad’s tyrannical regime.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 16 Oct. 2024
Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2024
But when the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome conquer his new home, he is captured and, like his father, forced to become a gladiator.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 23 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tyrannical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyrannical
Adjective
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The concrete there takes, to me, a much more miserable, oppressive tone.Owen Davies, Curbed, 4 Nov. 2024
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Boyer is seven years his junior, and Sell struggles to return Boyer’s oppressive flat serve, winning only the first game of the second set.Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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But soon enough, all three have arrived at the Morrow estate in rural Nebraska, where the aftereffects of Carlyle’s cruel, domineering parenting still echo.Emily C. Hughes, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2024
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Shelby Taylor Former girlfriend of Murch, the domineering Shelby goes on hit The Real Housewives TV show franchise, and is now a prominent reality television star.Okla Jones, Essence, 22 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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In our age of brutal wars, authoritarian politics, cultures of contempt, and technology that promises to replace us with machines, what is left of the idea of the human being?George Packer, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
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Autocratic The autocratic style is also known as authoritarian leadership.Jason Miller, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The masterful subtlety of light brushstrokes and the troublingly realistic sfumato of the Renaissance painter in the service of god or a noblewoman elevated the work and, by extension, its maker to celebrity.Ruby Justice Thelot, ARTnews.com, 1 Nov. 2024
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts just took the ball from him in the top of the seventh inning after a masterful performance.Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 27 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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The rise of autocratic regimes across the world over the last decade and a half has put democrats on high alert.Larry Diamond, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024
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By Michael Schuman The revelation that North Korean troops have been gathering in Russia, ostensibly to assist President Vladimir Putin in his brutal invasion of Ukraine, has stoked Western fears of autocratic states banding together to undermine the interests of democracies.Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Still, somewhere between Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming, Downey’s public personality took on the triple-espresso cadence of Iron Man improv, and there’s a Comic Book Guy part of me that feels Downey’s manic energy is all wrong for playing a moody despotic sorcerer.Darren Franich, Vulture, 31 July 2024
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Gaza is finally ready to free itself of the despotic rule of Hamas, which creates for Gazans the real possibility of having a future of hope, and not of endless war and despair.Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, TIME, 17 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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This push to start campaigns earlier is not arbitrary.Kate Hardcastle, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
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Expiration dates are somewhat arbitrary The US Food and Drug Administration only began requiring drug manufacturers to put an expiration date on medications in 1979.Keren Landman, Vox, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Applying his dictatorial power, Kuhn banned me from the locker rooms.Melissa Ludtke, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
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The safe haven known as the Nest is under attack, with France’s dictatorial leader Genet (Anne Charrier) leading the charge.Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near tyrannical
Cite this Entry
“Tyrannical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyrannical. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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