as in dictatorship
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
a popular uprising replaced that nation's tyranny with freedom and democracy
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of tyranny
The show is airing at a time when a lot of people are thinking about tyranny in a very concrete way.
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Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 4 Dec. 2024
In 1847, during the year remembered as Black ’47, Ireland was enduring political and existential chaos due to famine and tyranny.
—William Higgins, Orlando Sentinel, 28 Nov. 2024
Different people hold many different beliefs, and one of the key differences between democracy and tyranny is the freedom to think independently.
—Hod Fleishman, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
Russia has never had a James Madison, who pitted ambition against ambition, sordid motives against sordid motives in the U.S. Constitution to arrest tyranny.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 15 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tyranny 
Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 4 Dec. 2024
In 1847, during the year remembered as Black ’47, Ireland was enduring political and existential chaos due to famine and tyranny.
—William Higgins, Orlando Sentinel, 28 Nov. 2024
Different people hold many different beliefs, and one of the key differences between democracy and tyranny is the freedom to think independently.
—Hod Fleishman, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
Russia has never had a James Madison, who pitted ambition against ambition, sordid motives against sordid motives in the U.S. Constitution to arrest tyranny.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 15 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tyranny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyranny
Noun
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His first movie in six years, Orphan follows a boy who discovers a dark secret about his origins in the ruins of the 1956 Hungarian uprising against the communist dictatorship.Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 1 Jan. 2025
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After all, the Carnation Revolution which overthrew four decades of Salazar’s right-wing dictatorship had happened only six years prior.Ana Leorne, SPIN, 31 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The goal is to understand the seduction of fascism, why so many people fell for Mussolini’s message then, and why so many are falling for a similar message today.Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Dec. 2024
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In character dialogue, Wolfenstein like Bronowski, links certainty with fascism.G Kirilloff, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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When the Arab Spring erupted across the Middle East in 2011, several autocracies were toppled and powerful Islamist groups rose to fill the vacuum in countries, including Tunisia and Egypt.Ismaeel Naar, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025
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The revisionist autocracies—led by China and Russia—will further aim to replace the liberal order established by the democratic Global West through more confrontational means.George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Orwell had robust opinions on totalitarianism, surveillance, censorship and class struggle.Will Noble, CNN, 23 Nov. 2024
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And yet, though unseen by even his own son for years, Lai has become the global face of conscience rights in its perpetual struggle against totalitarianism.Ashley McGuire, National Review, 22 Nov. 2024
Noun
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In other words, the absolutism or the abolitionist approach to cutting out meat from our diet doesn’t work for a lot of people.Shalom Daniel, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
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The political absolutism of Sartre was a way of asserting fearlessness: Nothing, not even the presence of the U.S. Army, can intimidate me!Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
Articles Related to tyranny
Thesaurus Entries Near tyranny
Cite this Entry
“Tyranny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyranny. Accessed 9 Jan. 2025.
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