as in tyrant
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
the despot exiled political dissidents to remote labor camps, where they were left to rot
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Recent Examples of despot
This dynamic is especially relevant for despots who do not intend to exit the scene peacefully when their tenure is up.
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Michael Poznansky, Foreign Affairs, 3 Jan. 2025
Maguire envisioned a dystopian Oz where the Wizard is a fascist despot.
—Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Nov. 2024
Assad's fall is a moment of accountability in a world where despots often escape justice.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024
This sequel to Ridley Scott’s 2000 epic substitutes the brother emperors Caracalla and Geta for the original’s Commodus, modeling them not only on him, but on a host of Rome’s other reputedly bloodthirsty despots like Caligula, Nero, and Domitian.
—Jeffrey E. Schulman / Made By History, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for despot 
Michael Poznansky, Foreign Affairs, 3 Jan. 2025
Maguire envisioned a dystopian Oz where the Wizard is a fascist despot.
—Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Nov. 2024
Assad's fall is a moment of accountability in a world where despots often escape justice.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024
This sequel to Ridley Scott’s 2000 epic substitutes the brother emperors Caracalla and Geta for the original’s Commodus, modeling them not only on him, but on a host of Rome’s other reputedly bloodthirsty despots like Caligula, Nero, and Domitian.
—Jeffrey E. Schulman / Made By History, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for despot
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Cite this Entry
“Despot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despot. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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