as in dictator
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
the people universally feared the tyrant, who was notorious for his frequent use of torture
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Recent Examples of tyrant
Roman became too much of a tyrant to continue working with, and Jimmy turned on him for fear of being overshadowed.
—
Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 16 Apr. 2025
In other words, could the question at the outset of the novel be applied today to the United States—a bastion of democratic strength being ripped apart by an erratic tyrant?
Years ago, in one of his lucid columns, Vargas Llosa described the election of Donald Trump as a form of national suicide.
—Ilan Stavans, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025
Throughout Russian history, Ivan the Terrible – who among his other crimes murdered his eldest son and had the head of Russian Orthodox Church strangled for dissent – was remembered as a repulsive tyrant.
—Dina Khapaeva, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2025
The sixth emperor of the famed Mughal dynasty, he is considered by many detractors to be a tyrant who brutalized women, razed Hindu temples, forced religious conversions and waged wars against Hindu and Sikh rulers.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tyrant
Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 16 Apr. 2025
In other words, could the question at the outset of the novel be applied today to the United States—a bastion of democratic strength being ripped apart by an erratic tyrant?
Years ago, in one of his lucid columns, Vargas Llosa described the election of Donald Trump as a form of national suicide.
—Ilan Stavans, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025
Throughout Russian history, Ivan the Terrible – who among his other crimes murdered his eldest son and had the head of Russian Orthodox Church strangled for dissent – was remembered as a repulsive tyrant.
—Dina Khapaeva, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2025
The sixth emperor of the famed Mughal dynasty, he is considered by many detractors to be a tyrant who brutalized women, razed Hindu temples, forced religious conversions and waged wars against Hindu and Sikh rulers.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tyrant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyrant
dictator
Noun
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Satellite imagery captured what remained of a mangled 5,000-ton North Korean naval destroyer damaged during its launch ceremony this week, leaving the country's dictator distraught.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
24 May 2025
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After the dictator fell, it was made Paraguay’s official language, along with Spanish.—
Graciela Mochkofsky,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tyrant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyrant. Accessed 31 May. 2025.
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