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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tyrannical
And what can today’s resistance movements facing tyrannical regimes learn from their success?
—
John Blake, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2025
Howard plays himself as a tyrannical auteur who petulantly refuses to cut a vacuous scene from his overlong thriller, warding off pleas only to change his mind at the moment of truth.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2025
Leaders who take this approach have a tyrannical, dictatorial style.
—Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Now that’s someone who’ll shake up Alan Cumming’s tyrannical rule.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tyrannical
John Blake, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2025
Howard plays himself as a tyrannical auteur who petulantly refuses to cut a vacuous scene from his overlong thriller, warding off pleas only to change his mind at the moment of truth.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2025
Leaders who take this approach have a tyrannical, dictatorial style.
—Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Now that’s someone who’ll shake up Alan Cumming’s tyrannical rule.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tyrannical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyrannical
Adjective
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The United States held Qaddafi’s Libya up as a success story in the global war on terror, a former rogue state that had made amends for its murderous past, relinquished its nuclear-weapons program and reoriented its oppressive state apparatus around American foreign-policy priorities.—
Henry Leutwyler Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Quinton Kamara,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
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Contracts of adhesion are sometimes seen as oppressive, especially in the consumer context, but courts often regard them as enforceable.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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Randall is a rebellious new patient at a mental institution who does battle with Louise Fletcher’s domineering head nurse Mildred Ratched.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
20 May 2025
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The trial had revealed Blue Cross’ domineering behavior.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Panahi’s film, his first since being released from prison in 2023, is a direct assault on Iran’s authoritarian regime.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
24 May 2025
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But this one rush job, HB 1205, was especially dear to the governor’s authoritarian heart.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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Elie’s masterful survey is a group portrait of artists and their fellow travelers who participated during a bloody crossroads in American life, when Ronald Reagan’s ascension to the White House in 1980 collapsed the walls between church and state, sparking a counterrevolution across the arts.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2025
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The series is being produced by Science Saru, which previously worked on anime series like Devilman Crybaby, Star Wars Visions, and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and it's been praised by fans and critics alike for its stunning production values, touching storytelling, and masterful animation.—
Oliver Brandt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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The United States' chaotic autocratic lurch under President Donald Trump—in particular, its abandonment of Europe and Ukraine in favor of closer ties to Russia—has compelled European countries to get a lot more serious about their own defense.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 May 2025
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Panahi uses this set-up to explore the ripple effects of autocratic abuse on several characters who don’t know each other, but are connected by the same persecutor.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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Photo: Obscured Pictures Building the world of the film also meant drawing on all manner of cultural references—from the depths of the Vice News YouTube channel to an early ’00s documentary about American Apparel and its despotic CEO, Dov Charney, that Ulman sent to Simon Rex.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
2 May 2025
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In these ways, Trump’s despotic acts are indeed without precedent in American history.—
Patrick Eddington,
Oc Register,
20 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Businesses now live in fear of retroactive rulings, arbitrary penalties and endless audits.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
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The risks include wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure.—
Nick Butler,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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Hollywood is now under the dictatorial realm of the technology companies.—
Maer Roshan,
HollywoodReporter,
21 May 2025
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Yet before the press arrived, Trump shared a different, less equivocal message with El Salvador’s dictatorial president, Nayib Bukele, who has already built sprawling maximum-security complexes in service of Trump’s scheme to deport noncitizens out of legal reach.—
Michael Wilner,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tyrannical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyrannical. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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