as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
the Magna Carta is historically important because it signified the British rejection of autocracy and constituted the first formal restraining of the power of the monarch
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of autocracy
Trump could also falter because a world of ambitious, colluding autocracies is difficult even for the most skillful superpower to handle.
—
Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Following it all is independent journalist and Nobel Prize-winner Maria Ressa, with an eye toward the specter of increasing autocracy.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 Feb. 2025
Iranians want a full-fledged democracy, not an autocracy.
—Akbar Ganji, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2025
Of course, democratic erosion is a problem all on its own; few Americans want to live in one of those hybrid regimes halfway between democracy and autocracy.
—Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocracy
Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Following it all is independent journalist and Nobel Prize-winner Maria Ressa, with an eye toward the specter of increasing autocracy.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 Feb. 2025
Iranians want a full-fledged democracy, not an autocracy.
—Akbar Ganji, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2025
Of course, democratic erosion is a problem all on its own; few Americans want to live in one of those hybrid regimes halfway between democracy and autocracy.
—Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autocracy
Noun
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Judicial review is an indispensable part of the checks and balances embedded in the Constitution as a protection against tyranny.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
20 Mar. 2025
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But that doesn’t justify your silence in the face of Trump’s tyranny, either.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Russia is our enemy and will be for at least as long as Putin's dictatorship endures (and the Russian people continue to succumb to nostalgia for great power status and empire).—
Bradley Gitz,
arkansasonline.com,
17 Mar. 2025
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Founded in 1998, the station is owned by journalist Marcus Garcia, another renowned Haitian journalist and columnist who led the struggle for press freedoms against the Duvalier dictatorship in the 1980s.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Considering how many feel the show speaks to the rise in fascism currently taking place throughout the world, many believe the show has become adept at channeling real-world conflicts into a sci-fi allegory, but Gilroy doesn’t view his work as capturing the moment.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
16 Mar. 2025
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Our parents defeated fascism and communism at the cost of great sacrifice.—
Claude Malhuret,
The Atlantic,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
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President Donald Trump on Tuesday evening will address a joint session of Congress in a new political landscape – and just a year after former President Joe Biden warned that the nation faced a choice between democracy and despotism.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA TODAY,
3 Mar. 2025
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Cutting bureaucracy isn’t usually associated with despotism and power grabs.—
Garry Kasparov,
The Atlantic,
28 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to autocracy
Cite this Entry
“Autocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocracy. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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