as in dictatorship
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
a popular uprising replaced that nation's tyranny with freedom and democracy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tyranny
Fight for women and our children and their futures and fight against tyranny, one day at a time.
—
Caroline Thayer, Fox News, 6 Nov. 2024
That implies that just as federalism guards against the tyranny made possible through overt centralization, federalism also has counterweights to prevent individual state governments from wrecking the whole.
—Jenna Bednar, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024
It's mainly made up of former and current law enforcement, former and current military, and these people see themselves as the last line of defense against government tyranny.
—Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 2024
Finally, Gibney breaks away from nonstop Sopranos worship for secondhand memories of Gandolfini’s personal struggles on the series — the mixture of pressure and addiction — and Chase’s transition into some level of occasional tyranny.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tyranny 
Caroline Thayer, Fox News, 6 Nov. 2024
That implies that just as federalism guards against the tyranny made possible through overt centralization, federalism also has counterweights to prevent individual state governments from wrecking the whole.
—Jenna Bednar, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024
It's mainly made up of former and current law enforcement, former and current military, and these people see themselves as the last line of defense against government tyranny.
—Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 2024
Finally, Gibney breaks away from nonstop Sopranos worship for secondhand memories of Gandolfini’s personal struggles on the series — the mixture of pressure and addiction — and Chase’s transition into some level of occasional tyranny.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tyranny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyranny
Noun
-
Chinese officials fear that Russia’s influence over the insular dictatorship is growing at China’s expense.Sungmin Cho, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
-
Unfolding against the backdrop of Argentina’s military dictatorship, Our Share of Night features a once-in-a-generation medium able to channel a dark force that warps his body and offers untold and dangerous power.Mikaella Clements & Onjuli Datta, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Her lifestyle and perception of the world were not suited to depression, hunger, fascism, and war.Chadd Scott, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
-
In recent years, the Morning Joe hosts have been harsh critics of Trump, comparing his rise to that of fascism.Ted Johnson, Deadline, 19 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Although Adolf Hitler met his road to perdition, Joseph Stalin survived and extended his despotism.Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2024
-
His thug military’s attacks — and those of his thug street enforcers known as colectivos — on Venezuelans who’ve taken to the streets to protest his Gómez-ish despotism?Tim Padgett, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2024
Noun
-
As its divisions with Washington have deepened, Beijing has ramped up efforts to challenge US global leadership and shape an international order into one that favors China and other autocracies.Simone McCarthy, CNN, 24 Oct. 2024
-
Applebaum argues that Western democracies must reckon with their complicity in the spread of kleptocratic autocracy through offshore banking, money laundering, business deals, and ideological support from right-wing fellow travelers.Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 22 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
Mann understood the appeal of totalitarianism early on.George Packer, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
-
In 1984, Apple released a TV ad suggesting that its new Macintosh would topple Orwellian totalitarianism.Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
The political absolutism of Sartre was a way of asserting fearlessness: Nothing, not even the presence of the U.S. Army, can intimidate me!Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
-
But by the early seventeenth century the sovereigns of Britain, France, and elsewhere had begun to erode this medieval constitutionalism in favor of a new absolutism.Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Aug. 2024
Articles Related to tyranny
Thesaurus Entries Near tyranny
Cite this Entry
“Tyranny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyranny. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share