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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despotism
Democracy has its faults, but so, too, does every variety of despotism.
—
Madeleine K. Albright, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2021
The Netanyahu government is not fighting to liberate Gazans from despotism and establish the foundations for a two-state solution.
—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
See all Example Sentences for despotism 
Madeleine K. Albright, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2021
The Netanyahu government is not fighting to liberate Gazans from despotism and establish the foundations for a two-state solution.
—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
See all Example Sentences for despotism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despotism
Noun
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However since then, the 43-year-old has had a disdain for the rapper, as she’s excitedly backed K. Dot’s tyranny against Drake.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
10 Feb. 2025
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But the people in Gaza shouldn’t have to pay for a tyranny that rules over them with an iron fist.—
Hen Mazzig,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2025
Noun
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When Johnson Sirleaf came to power, in 2006, Liberia had been wracked by more than a decade of civil war, a military dictatorship, and chronic poverty.—
John Cassidy,
The New Yorker,
8 Feb. 2025
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If allowed to proceed, Trump's purge of our federal law enforcement workforce will expose America to authoritarianism and dictatorship.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
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When a leader sets legislators on the sidelines, as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer did during the COVID pandemic and Trump is doing now, republican governing gives way to autocracy.—
Nolan Finley,
The Mercury News,
28 Jan. 2025
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Trump’s transactional and pragmatic engagement with adversaries may do more to tame geopolitical rivalry than Biden’s view of a globe defined by a clash between democracy and autocracy.—
Charles A. Kupchan,
The Atlantic,
10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Did defeating the Nazis spur the Allies to a golden age of justice or rid the world of fascism?—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
5 Feb. 2025
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The movement, which has gained traction on social media, brands itself as a fight against fascism.—
Hannah Parry,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to despotism
Thesaurus Entries Near despotism
Cite this Entry
“Despotism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despotism. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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