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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Recent Examples of despotism
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
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
See All Example Sentences for 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
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
See All Example Sentences for despotism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despotism
Noun
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What happened in Anaheim a century ago shows how to combat tyranny and white supremacy — and also that the work is never really done.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2025
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The monster was the liberation from the tyranny of image.—
E. Alex Jung,
Vulture,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The accusations, laid out in a 272-page indictment, suggest that Brazil came strikingly close to plunging back into, in effect, a military dictatorship nearly four decades into its modern democracy.—
Jack Nicas,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2025
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Torres’ portrayal of Eunice Paiva, a mother who spent decades searching for justice after the disappearance of her husband during Brazil’s military dictatorship, has resonated with audiences and critics alike.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Following it all is independent journalist and Nobel Prize-winner Maria Ressa, with an eye toward the specter of increasing autocracy.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
14 Feb. 2025
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Iranians want a full-fledged democracy, not an autocracy.—
Akbar Ganji,
Foreign Affairs,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Democrats like to hurl around the charge of fascism at Republicans.—
Walter E Block,
Orange County Register,
13 Feb. 2025
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Who’s to say that a serious-minded semi-Marxist critique of economic desperation and the rise of fascism in the Star Wars universe is somehow harder than transplanting the 1980s Amblin sensibility to the same universe?—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
29 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to despotism
Cite this Entry
“Despotism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despotism. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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