as in dictator
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
like some pharaoh of a third-world country, more interested in building monuments to himself than in creating a future for his people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pharaoh
One of my favorite vacations of all time, there’s nothing quite like seeing the ancient pyramids and pharaohs’ tombs in the Valley of the Kings in person.
—
Hannah Freedman, Travel + Leisure, 17 Feb. 2025
The city and temple were established by the pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus between 280 and 270 B.C.E. in honor of the god.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Jan. 2025
My land is made up of goldsmiths who worked in the time of the Egyptian pharaohs and of the first artists in the world in Chiribiquete.
—Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
The franchise with seemingly more riches than an Egyptian pharaoh, the one that deferred $680 million of Ohtani’s salary for a decade, somehow found a way to spend less.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pharaoh
Hannah Freedman, Travel + Leisure, 17 Feb. 2025
The city and temple were established by the pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus between 280 and 270 B.C.E. in honor of the god.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Jan. 2025
My land is made up of goldsmiths who worked in the time of the Egyptian pharaohs and of the first artists in the world in Chiribiquete.
—Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
The franchise with seemingly more riches than an Egyptian pharaoh, the one that deferred $680 million of Ohtani’s salary for a decade, somehow found a way to spend less.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pharaoh
Cite this Entry
“Pharaoh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pharaoh. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share