as in rulers
one who rules over a people with a sole, supreme, and usually hereditary authority
European autocrats once commonly believed that they had received the right to rule directly from God
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Recent Examples of autocrats
But its core themes—the corrupting allure of control, the dangers of putting the future in the hands of greedy autocrats—align closely with those of the original Dune novels.
—
Emma Stefansky, The Atlantic, 21 Dec. 2024
This put a bright spotlight on the hypocrisy and hubris that have often characterized the aspects of American foreign policy that exist outside the rules, which fuel the narratives of autocrats and populists alike.
—Ben Rhodes, Foreign Affairs, 13 Dec. 2024
Ankara’s efforts to induce regime change strained its previously friendly ties with regional autocrats.
—Gonul Tol, Foreign Affairs, 11 Dec. 2024
Once shunned by his fellow Arab autocrats, Bashar al-Assad was gradually regaining the dubious respectability Arab regimes afford one another.
—Ben Wedeman, CNN, 30 Nov. 2024
Abortion bans can doom autocrats.
—Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2024
There’s nothing tough about bowing to autocrats.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 16 Oct. 2024
Harris has placed herself squarely in the tradition of recent Democratic administrations, especially Biden’s, arguing that the United States must lead strong international coalitions to contain autocrats such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2024
Putin’s nativist turn has inspired autocrats in other parts of the world, from Hungary’s Viktor Orban to Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, who see Putin as the leader of a new kind of conservatism and anti-Westernism.
—Cristina Florea, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2022
Emma Stefansky, The Atlantic, 21 Dec. 2024
This put a bright spotlight on the hypocrisy and hubris that have often characterized the aspects of American foreign policy that exist outside the rules, which fuel the narratives of autocrats and populists alike.
—Ben Rhodes, Foreign Affairs, 13 Dec. 2024
Ankara’s efforts to induce regime change strained its previously friendly ties with regional autocrats.
—Gonul Tol, Foreign Affairs, 11 Dec. 2024
Once shunned by his fellow Arab autocrats, Bashar al-Assad was gradually regaining the dubious respectability Arab regimes afford one another.
—Ben Wedeman, CNN, 30 Nov. 2024
Abortion bans can doom autocrats.
—Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2024
There’s nothing tough about bowing to autocrats.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 16 Oct. 2024
Harris has placed herself squarely in the tradition of recent Democratic administrations, especially Biden’s, arguing that the United States must lead strong international coalitions to contain autocrats such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2024
Putin’s nativist turn has inspired autocrats in other parts of the world, from Hungary’s Viktor Orban to Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, who see Putin as the leader of a new kind of conservatism and anti-Westernism.
—Cristina Florea, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2022
Cite this Entry
“Autocrats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocrats. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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