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Autos in Greek means "same" or "self", so in an autocratic government all the power is held by the leader him- or herself. Autocratic governments are often called dictatorships, or sometimes autocracies. In everyday life, a teacher, a parent, or a football coach can all behave like autocrats as well.
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Examples of autocratic in a Sentence
democracy is supposed to protect the people against the rise of autocratic rulers
an autocratic Boy Scout leader who is under the delusion that he's still an army colonel
Recent Examples on the Web
For these countries, there is far less concern about Trump’s autocratic tendencies and contempt for liberal internationalist ideals.
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Bilahari Kausikan, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
Nicaragua's become even more autocratic this year, and recent blackouts in Cuba illustrate how difficult living there is for many.
—Marina E. Franco (noticias Telemundo For Axios), Axios, 10 Dec. 2024
By Anne Applebaum As Hemingway once wrote of bankruptcy, the collapse of autocratic regimes tends to happen gradually and then suddenly—slowly, and then all at once.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2024
His decade-long presidency began with triumphs righting Peru’s economy and defeating a brutal insurgency only to end in autocratic excess that later sent him to prison.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune, 3 Dec. 2024
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Bilahari Kausikan, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
Nicaragua's become even more autocratic this year, and recent blackouts in Cuba illustrate how difficult living there is for many.
—Marina E. Franco (noticias Telemundo For Axios), Axios, 10 Dec. 2024
By Anne Applebaum As Hemingway once wrote of bankruptcy, the collapse of autocratic regimes tends to happen gradually and then suddenly—slowly, and then all at once.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2024
His decade-long presidency began with triumphs righting Peru’s economy and defeating a brutal insurgency only to end in autocratic excess that later sent him to prison.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune, 3 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for autocratic
Dictionary Entries Near autocratic
Cite this Entry
“Autocratic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autocratic. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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autocratic
adjective
au·to·crat·ic
ˌȯt-ə-ˈkrat-ik 
: of, relating to, or resembling autocracy or an autocrat
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