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
The Netanyahu government is not fighting to liberate Gazans from despotism and establish the foundations for a two-state solution.
—
Eric Levitz, Vox, 3 June 2024
For decades, his despotism and depravity was limited to the long-suffering Russian people.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2024
Authoritarians claim that only after scapegoats are purged can a nation be remade in the image of its strong leader, even as the nation, in purging those enemies, degenerates into despotism and lawlessness.
—Richard Cherwitz, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2024
The New York Times argued that Tweed’s prosecution offered a chance for New York City to rid itself of corruption, attract business and finance, and show new immigrants that America was a beacon for those fleeing despotism in other parts of the world.
—Ray Brescia / Made By History, TIME, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for despotism 
Eric Levitz, Vox, 3 June 2024
For decades, his despotism and depravity was limited to the long-suffering Russian people.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2024
Authoritarians claim that only after scapegoats are purged can a nation be remade in the image of its strong leader, even as the nation, in purging those enemies, degenerates into despotism and lawlessness.
—Richard Cherwitz, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2024
The New York Times argued that Tweed’s prosecution offered a chance for New York City to rid itself of corruption, attract business and finance, and show new immigrants that America was a beacon for those fleeing despotism in other parts of the world.
—Ray Brescia / Made By History, TIME, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for despotism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despotism
Noun
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When Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, and the rest of their ragtag fugitive fleet fled the Cylon tyranny, one of their first ports of call was the pleasure planet of Carillon for a spot of R&R.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
15 Jan. 2025
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During that terrifying first year of tyranny, Mon Mothma, Saw Gerrera, and Bail Organa face the encroaching darkness.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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During the third year of his sentence, he's placed in a cell with Valentin (Diego Luna), a revolutionary who is vital to the fight against Argentina's military dictatorship.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
27 Jan. 2025
-
Molina, a gay hairdresser convicted of public indecency during Argentina’s brutal military dictatorship, has been sent to the political wing of a prison and put in the same cell as Valentin Arregui (a solid, if unremarkable Diego Luna), an intense and serious-minded Marxist revolutionary.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Washington’s traditional impulse to divide the world into democracies and autocracies obscures a global turn toward nationalism that began with the 2008 financial crisis and led to protectionism, hardening borders, and shrinking growth in many parts of the world.—
Michael Brenes,
Foreign Affairs,
28 Jan. 2025
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His steadfast support for Ukraine and NATO expansion, at a time of creeping autocracy in Europe, was heroic.—
Douglas Brinkley,
CBS News,
19 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Hepburn’s hatred of fascism and the Nazis was especially resonant to people on Reddit.—
Martha Ross,
The Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2025
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Reviewed by Andrew Moravcsik January/February 2025 Published on In This Review Hitler’s People: The Faces of the Third Reich By Richard J. Evans Save Who would support fascism today?—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Despotism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despotism. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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