as in tyrant
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
the despot exiled political dissidents to remote labor camps, where they were left to rot
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Recent Examples of despot
The rationale for the legislation is that Congress doesn’t want despots in North Korea or Russia or Iran or China to have reams of private and personal information on half of the country.
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New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2025
Cherry-picking what represents genocide sends the wrong message to despots and would-be aggressors who see that type of validation as a green light to act with impunity and dismiss oversight from international regulators and legal authorities.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
The horror show of our impending political nightmare is casting a shadow over the New Year like another decrepit despot of suffering, the creeping bloodsucker of Nosferatu.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2025
This dynamic is especially relevant for despots who do not intend to exit the scene peacefully when their tenure is up.
—Michael Poznansky, Foreign Affairs, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despot
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2025
Cherry-picking what represents genocide sends the wrong message to despots and would-be aggressors who see that type of validation as a green light to act with impunity and dismiss oversight from international regulators and legal authorities.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
The horror show of our impending political nightmare is casting a shadow over the New Year like another decrepit despot of suffering, the creeping bloodsucker of Nosferatu.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2025
This dynamic is especially relevant for despots who do not intend to exit the scene peacefully when their tenure is up.
—Michael Poznansky, Foreign Affairs, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despot
Cite this Entry
“Despot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despot. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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