as in ruler
one who rules over a people with a sole, supreme, and usually hereditary authority
European autocrats once commonly believed that they had received the right to rule directly from God
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Recent Examples of autocrat
Eruption of warfare The army and RSF had at one point been in a fragile partnership together, jointly staging a coup in 2021 that derailed the transition from the Islamist rule of Omar al-Bashir, a longtime autocrat who was ousted in 2019.
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FOXNews.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Instead, the country has a would-be autocrat, with a Mt. Whitney-size grudge against California, seeking to establish himself as King Donald the First.
—Mark Z. Barabak, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2025
However, doing so could also tarnish America's image as a safe place to do business, and also send a green light to corrupt autocrats ruling over impoverished people to get even richer.
—CBS News, 12 Feb. 2025
For aspiring autocrats, policy and regulatory decisions can serve as powerful carrots and sticks to attract business support.
—Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocrat
FOXNews.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Instead, the country has a would-be autocrat, with a Mt. Whitney-size grudge against California, seeking to establish himself as King Donald the First.
—Mark Z. Barabak, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2025
However, doing so could also tarnish America's image as a safe place to do business, and also send a green light to corrupt autocrats ruling over impoverished people to get even richer.
—CBS News, 12 Feb. 2025
For aspiring autocrats, policy and regulatory decisions can serve as powerful carrots and sticks to attract business support.
—Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocrat
Cite this Entry
“Autocrat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocrat. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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