as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
by the end of the 20th century many countries around the world had rejected despotism in favor of democracy
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despotism
Western governments have burdened Georgia with a special status as a democracy-in-the-making in a region otherwise beset by despotism.
—
Christian Caryl, Foreign Affairs, 26 Dec. 2024
Although Adolf Hitler met his road to perdition, Joseph Stalin survived and extended his despotism.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2024
His thug military’s attacks — and those of his thug street enforcers known as colectivos — on Venezuelans who’ve taken to the streets to protest his Gómez-ish despotism?
—Tim Padgett, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2024
Democracy has its faults, but so, too, does every variety of despotism.
—Madeleine K. Albright, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for despotism
Christian Caryl, Foreign Affairs, 26 Dec. 2024
Although Adolf Hitler met his road to perdition, Joseph Stalin survived and extended his despotism.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2024
His thug military’s attacks — and those of his thug street enforcers known as colectivos — on Venezuelans who’ve taken to the streets to protest his Gómez-ish despotism?
—Tim Padgett, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2024
Democracy has its faults, but so, too, does every variety of despotism.
—Madeleine K. Albright, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for despotism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despotism
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
-
The digital age thrives on collaboration, not dictatorship.—
Nono Bokete,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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The film makes more than a token effort to explore the material and psychological realities of life under fascist rule, and the transformation of a charming agrarian utopia into an austere military dictatorship.—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2025
Noun
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There are good reasons to believe that a permanent slide into autocracy is harder in the U.S. than in those countries.—
Jennifer Victor,
The Conversation,
26 Mar. 2025
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Investors are already fleeing as the county grows more authoritarian, and a slide into full autocracy will hardly bring them back.—
Gonul Tol,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Cattaneo and Pope manage to balance the tone of a dramatic historical depiction of fascism with a charming animal story and their secret weapon is Coogan.—
Katie Walsh,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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Don’t miss the upstairs museum, which displays priceless menorahs, prayer books, shofars and other historic artifacts, with windows that overlook the grave markers in the courtyard, a remnant of the old Budapest ghetto, where more than 2,000 victims of fascism were buried.—
Evan Rail,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Despotism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despotism. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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