1
as in oppressive
exercising power or authority without interference by others
studied the tyrannous rule of Stalin, communist dictator of the Soviet Union
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in authoritarian
fond of ordering people around
my older sister is a tyrannous bore who isn't happy unless she's in charge
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of tyrannous
These tyrannous tabbies don’t understand that canning is not exclusively for wet food.
—
Julie Klausner, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
Indeed, Daniel Roher’s pulse-pumping documentary about the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has all the ingredients: a mysterious case of near-fatal poisoning, a web of for-hire hoodlums, Vladimir Putin as the tyrannous leader behind it all.
—Tomris Laffly, Harper's BAZAAR, 1 Feb. 2022
The same study posited that Fela was not the only popular musician who confronted the military and tyrannous leaders of Nigeria between independence in 1960 and Fela’s passing in 1997.
—Garhe Osiebe, Quartz Africa, 21 Feb. 2021
The patriarchs of their respective homes, Polonius (Peter Friedman) and Claudius (Ritchie Coster) enthrone themselves on the toilet, oblivious of the tumult their tyrannous treachery has wreaked. Syringes creepily replace swords.
—Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 19 Aug. 2017
Julie Klausner, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
Indeed, Daniel Roher’s pulse-pumping documentary about the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has all the ingredients: a mysterious case of near-fatal poisoning, a web of for-hire hoodlums, Vladimir Putin as the tyrannous leader behind it all.
—Tomris Laffly, Harper's BAZAAR, 1 Feb. 2022
The same study posited that Fela was not the only popular musician who confronted the military and tyrannous leaders of Nigeria between independence in 1960 and Fela’s passing in 1997.
—Garhe Osiebe, Quartz Africa, 21 Feb. 2021
The patriarchs of their respective homes, Polonius (Peter Friedman) and Claudius (Ritchie Coster) enthrone themselves on the toilet, oblivious of the tumult their tyrannous treachery has wreaked. Syringes creepily replace swords.
—Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 19 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyrannous
Adjective
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Currently, asylum seekers who committed crimes seen as political in nature—i.e. toward an oppressive regime—could be granted asylum, as could those guilty of misdemeanors.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
14 Feb. 2025
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But the show pulls back just enough on the oppressive horror vibes of Season Two without losing a perpetual sense of unease from those scenes.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Serbia’s authoritarian leader should be riding high, lifted by economic growth that is four times the European average, falling unemployment and steadily rising wages.—
Andrew Higgins,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2025
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Trump’s decision will force many civil-society organizations in Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador and other Latin American authoritarian countries to shut down or drastically reduce their operations, leaders of some of these groups told me.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The doctors argued the removal was arbitrary and capricious, violating the Administrative Procedure Act and the Paperwork Reduction Act.—
Bart Jansen,
USA TODAY,
11 Feb. 2025
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Driving the news: The states charge the administration acted in an arbitrary and capricious way by not explaining the basis for the cap.—
Tina Reed,
Axios,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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He’s had something of a habit of playing domineering fathers, doing so on Ugly Betty (2006–2007) and as Charles Widmore on Lost (2006–2010).—
Sezin Devi Koehler,
EW.com,
8 Feb. 2025
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The stress of being a loyal husband and father while toiling tirelessly at Spacely Space Sprockets – headed by a domineering man with a Napoleon complex – seems to float away as the zooming saucer-like aero cars with large bubble roofs leave behind popcorn-like residue from fuel pellets and radium.—
Natasha Gural,
Forbes,
6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Saxon, for instance, is filling the same spoiled, arrogant space as Jake Lacy’s Shane from Season One.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 2025
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From director James Ashcroft (Coming Home in the Dark), who co-wrote the script with Eli Kent, The Rule of Jenny Pen centers on arrogant judge Stefan Mortensen (Rush), who has to live in a retirement home after a near-fatal stroke leaves him partially paralyzed.—
Sydney Bucksbaum,
EW.com,
3 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The forthcoming Sunrise on the Reaping follows Collins' fourth book The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which explored the early world of Coriolanus Snow — who later went on to become the infamous, tyrannical president of Panem.—
Staff Author,
People.com,
3 Feb. 2025
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King Saran Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) will portray the tyrannical king who is also Amari and Inan's father.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The Trump of the first half of the movie might surprise viewers used to the 2025 version: an outer-borough scion, ambitious but unsure, who bristles under his despotic father, aspires to greater recognition and bets big on the revival of Midtown Manhattan during its 1970s nadir.—
Marc Tracy,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2025
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Guaranteeing the people’s right to bear arms, both through state militias and as individuals, would serve as deterrence against federal leaders with despotic aspirations.—
Pioneer Press,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Authoritarian movements commonly embrace the notion that their country’s institutions have been subverted by enemies; autocratic leaders including Erdogan, Orban, and Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro routinely push such claims.—
STEVEN LEVITSKY,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Feb. 2025
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Musk is staging a coup, using tactics similar to those used by the autocratic Viktor Orbán of Hungary.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near tyrannous
Cite this Entry
“Tyrannous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyrannous. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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