1
as in oppressive
exercising power or authority without interference by others
studied the tyrannous rule of Stalin, communist dictator of the Soviet Union
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in authoritarian
fond of ordering people around
my older sister is a tyrannous bore who isn't happy unless she's in charge
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of tyrannous
These tyrannous tabbies don’t understand that canning is not exclusively for wet food.
—
Julie Klausner, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
Indeed, Daniel Roher’s pulse-pumping documentary about the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has all the ingredients: a mysterious case of near-fatal poisoning, a web of for-hire hoodlums, Vladimir Putin as the tyrannous leader behind it all.
—Tomris Laffly, Harper's BAZAAR, 1 Feb. 2022
The same study posited that Fela was not the only popular musician who confronted the military and tyrannous leaders of Nigeria between independence in 1960 and Fela’s passing in 1997.
—Garhe Osiebe, Quartz Africa, 21 Feb. 2021
The patriarchs of their respective homes, Polonius (Peter Friedman) and Claudius (Ritchie Coster) enthrone themselves on the toilet, oblivious of the tumult their tyrannous treachery has wreaked. Syringes creepily replace swords.
—Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 19 Aug. 2017
Julie Klausner, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
Indeed, Daniel Roher’s pulse-pumping documentary about the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has all the ingredients: a mysterious case of near-fatal poisoning, a web of for-hire hoodlums, Vladimir Putin as the tyrannous leader behind it all.
—Tomris Laffly, Harper's BAZAAR, 1 Feb. 2022
The same study posited that Fela was not the only popular musician who confronted the military and tyrannous leaders of Nigeria between independence in 1960 and Fela’s passing in 1997.
—Garhe Osiebe, Quartz Africa, 21 Feb. 2021
The patriarchs of their respective homes, Polonius (Peter Friedman) and Claudius (Ritchie Coster) enthrone themselves on the toilet, oblivious of the tumult their tyrannous treachery has wreaked. Syringes creepily replace swords.
—Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 19 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyrannous
Adjective
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This gripping series takes viewers into insidious modern-day cults through the unique lens of members who endured unspeakable trauma and the shocking investigations into these oppressive groups.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2025
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Dominic Frey is a member of the oppressive class and everything Silas should despise — but now their mutual discretion is all that’s keeping them from punishment for their crimes of passion.—
Olivia Waite,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Some human rights advocates are concerned about a growing alignment between how the Trump administration discusses democracy work and how authoritarian regimes frame the same topic.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
19 Feb. 2025
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And as the United States veered away from longstanding alliances with European democracies and toward a brutal authoritarian regime, U.S. Pres.—
David Axe,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Anyone who’s ever thrown a pitch or swung a bat knows that the umpire decides in the end — and those decisions have felt arbitrary and highly personal at times.—
Keith O'Brien,
Rolling Stone,
23 Feb. 2025
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Trump’s arbitrary 75-day pause on the TikTok ban would expire April 5, 2025.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Here's Your Zodiac Love Compatibility, Based on Your Sign Sagittarius: Rachel Chu from Crazy Rich Asians To maintain her relationship, Rachel takes on a fight with her boyfriend’s domineering mother Eleanor.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
13 Feb. 2025
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He’s had something of a habit of playing domineering fathers, doing so on Ugly Betty (2006–2007) and as Charles Widmore on Lost (2006–2010).—
Sezin Devi Koehler,
EW.com,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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According to Packer, several surefire ways to ensure success start here: Be arrogant!—
Dominique Fluker,
Essence,
17 Feb. 2025
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In 1254, King Edward I and Queen Eleanor of Castile were married at a very young age, and although Edward had a reputation for being arrogant and quarrelsome, the pair eventually fell deeply in love.—
Gulnaz Khan,
AFAR Media,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Only the second entry in the young Thompson's filmography, Heavyweights tells the story of a group of enrollees at a weight loss camp who stage a coup against the tyrannical fitness enthusiasts who've recently seized power.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
20 Feb. 2025
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The most unpopular president this century is dictating tyrannical violations of the U.S. Constitution.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The notion that these companies were sovereign enclaves of pitilessly despotic geniuses is a myth of recent vintage.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
The New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2025
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Most humans who have ever lived have done so under despotic regimes.—
Stephen D. Krasner,
Foreign Affairs,
10 Feb. 2020
Adjective
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European leaders are aghast at America’s autocratic lurch.—
David Axe,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
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Image The years since, through the first Trump presidency, the Jan. 6 riot, the impeachments and autocratic rhetoric, have not appreciably changed Michaels’s approach to political sketches.—
Maureen Dowd,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tyrannous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyrannous. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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