as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
by the end of the 20th century many countries around the world had rejected despotism in favor of democracy
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Recent Examples of despotism
The Netanyahu government is not fighting to liberate Gazans from despotism and establish the foundations for a two-state solution.
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Eric Levitz, Vox, 3 June 2024
For decades, his despotism and depravity was limited to the long-suffering Russian people.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2024
Authoritarians claim that only after scapegoats are purged can a nation be remade in the image of its strong leader, even as the nation, in purging those enemies, degenerates into despotism and lawlessness.
—Richard Cherwitz, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2024
The New York Times argued that Tweed’s prosecution offered a chance for New York City to rid itself of corruption, attract business and finance, and show new immigrants that America was a beacon for those fleeing despotism in other parts of the world.
—Ray Brescia / Made By History, TIME, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for despotism 
Eric Levitz, Vox, 3 June 2024
For decades, his despotism and depravity was limited to the long-suffering Russian people.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2024
Authoritarians claim that only after scapegoats are purged can a nation be remade in the image of its strong leader, even as the nation, in purging those enemies, degenerates into despotism and lawlessness.
—Richard Cherwitz, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2024
The New York Times argued that Tweed’s prosecution offered a chance for New York City to rid itself of corruption, attract business and finance, and show new immigrants that America was a beacon for those fleeing despotism in other parts of the world.
—Ray Brescia / Made By History, TIME, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for despotism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despotism
Noun
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Annotated Noah Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language declared Americans free from the tyranny of British institutions and their vocabularies.JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 8 Jan. 2025
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Transferring that depth to television, particularly to predominantly Black characters in a Caribbean country, especially one as fabled as Jamaica, to confront the tyranny of homophobia while also sustaining a conversation with the U.K. about its tainted legacy of colonialism, is bold and visionary.Ronda Racha Penrice, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
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His first movie in six years, Orphan follows a boy who discovers a dark secret about his origins in the ruins of the 1956 Hungarian uprising against the communist dictatorship.Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 1 Jan. 2025
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After all, the Carnation Revolution which overthrew four decades of Salazar’s right-wing dictatorship had happened only six years prior.Ana Leorne, SPIN, 31 Dec. 2024
Noun
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When the Arab Spring erupted across the Middle East in 2011, several autocracies were toppled and powerful Islamist groups rose to fill the vacuum in countries, including Tunisia and Egypt.Ismaeel Naar, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025
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The revisionist autocracies—led by China and Russia—will further aim to replace the liberal order established by the democratic Global West through more confrontational means.George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The goal is to understand the seduction of fascism, why so many people fell for Mussolini’s message then, and why so many are falling for a similar message today.Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Dec. 2024
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In character dialogue, Wolfenstein like Bronowski, links certainty with fascism.G Kirilloff, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Despotism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despotism. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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