1
as in arbitrary
exercising power or authority without interference by others
a nation ruled by a series of despotic rulers, each seemingly worse than the last
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in authoritarian
fond of ordering people around
the despotic coach demands that his players obey him without question
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despotic
Guaranteeing the people’s right to bear arms, both through state militias and as individuals, would serve as deterrence against federal leaders with despotic aspirations.
—
Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2025
Misinformation is rife in Syria, and after five decades of despotic rule, Syrians have little trust in their institutions.
—Nafees Hamid, Foreign Affairs, 31 Jan. 2025
Vaccine resistance, in turn, was particularly pronounced among alternative health practitioners like Reuben Swinburne Clymer, who lamented how despotic doctors overrode the objections of ordinary citizens.
—Helen L. Murphey / Made By History, TIME, 29 Jan. 2025
But Valery, despite his lack of power in a despotic system, is able to help others, and finds a way to not just survive his pain but also live with its lasting effects.
—Vanessa Armstrong, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despotic
Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2025
Misinformation is rife in Syria, and after five decades of despotic rule, Syrians have little trust in their institutions.
—Nafees Hamid, Foreign Affairs, 31 Jan. 2025
Vaccine resistance, in turn, was particularly pronounced among alternative health practitioners like Reuben Swinburne Clymer, who lamented how despotic doctors overrode the objections of ordinary citizens.
—Helen L. Murphey / Made By History, TIME, 29 Jan. 2025
But Valery, despite his lack of power in a despotic system, is able to help others, and finds a way to not just survive his pain but also live with its lasting effects.
—Vanessa Armstrong, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despotic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despotic
Adjective
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The user is urged to visit a website and pay an arbitrary toll amount to avoid a $50 fine.—
Dan Avery,
CNBC,
17 Mar. 2025
-
His morning rants and arbitrary policies only harm the economy.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In this way, democratic parenting is markedly different from both permissive parenting and authoritarian parenting.—
Miranda Rake,
Parents,
14 Mar. 2025
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They are also seen as sharing a joint interest in diminishing the role of the U.S. and other liberal democracies in determining world events in favor of their own highly authoritarian systems.—
Christopher Bodeen,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The triangle was turned right-side-up to show that gay people were standing up to oppressive forces.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025
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My parents came here from Syria, carrying their stories of the oppressive regime there that made life unlivable.—
Armando Garcia,
ABC News,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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All the while, his domineering mother Bunny (played by the late Frances Sternhagen) is determined to stay the number one woman in her son's life.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
EW.com,
8 Mar. 2025
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Since then, he’s portrayed a colorful collection of characters, from a domineering theater owner in Shakespeare in Love to Pirates of the Caribbean’s villain turned hero, Captain Hector Barbossa.—
airmail.news,
airmail.news,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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So this kind of parallel can easily be drawn between Iran and other countries, [including those with] an arrogant isolation program, definitely.—
Georg Szalai,
The Hollywood Reporter,
13 Mar. 2025
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One of the targets of his reign of terror is arrogant Judge Stefan Mortensen, played by Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush admitted to the facility after being left partially paralyzed after a stroke.—
Simon Thompson,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Furthermore, although Washington has conceived of its autocratic adversaries as a cohesive unit, almost all their cooperation has been through bilateral channels.—
Christopher S. Chivvis,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Mar. 2025
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Ukraine may not be a beacon of democracy, but today's Russian government is the definition of an autocratic regime.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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What is the character of those who bear false witness and favor Russia’s tyrannical lies over Ukrainians’ unalienable rights?—
Mark Sandy,
TIME,
14 Mar. 2025
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The Constitution that resulted outlined a separation of powers between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, serving together as a system of checks and balances to prevent the kind of tyrannical rule that the colonies fought to free themselves from.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
TIME,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Don’t let your passion or ego be dictatorial in setting business and product parameters and goals.—
Martin Zwilling,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
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Thank you for taking a stand against our dictatorial president. — John Duffy, Elgin Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Despotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despotic. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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