Did you know?
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.
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
European leaders are aghast at America’s autocratic lurch.
—
David Axe, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
Image The years since, through the first Trump presidency, the Jan. 6 riot, the impeachments and autocratic rhetoric, have not appreciably changed Michaels’s approach to political sketches.
—Maureen Dowd, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been a totemic figure of the West’s unified stance against a marauding, autocratic Russia.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 13 Feb. 2025
The protests, initially centered on demands for accountability for the canopy disaster, have expanded into a broader critique of corruption and autocratic governance under President Aleksandar Vučić.
—Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocratic
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.
David Axe, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
Image The years since, through the first Trump presidency, the Jan. 6 riot, the impeachments and autocratic rhetoric, have not appreciably changed Michaels’s approach to political sketches.
—Maureen Dowd, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been a totemic figure of the West’s unified stance against a marauding, autocratic Russia.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 13 Feb. 2025
The protests, initially centered on demands for accountability for the canopy disaster, have expanded into a broader critique of corruption and autocratic governance under President Aleksandar Vučić.
—Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocratic
Cite this Entry
“Autocratic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autocratic. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
autocratic
adjective
au·to·crat·ic
ˌȯt-ə-ˈkrat-ik 
: of, relating to, or resembling autocracy or an autocrat
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share