1
as in oppressive
exercising power or authority without interference by others
studied the tyrannous rule of Stalin, communist dictator of the Soviet Union
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in authoritarian
fond of ordering people around
my older sister is a tyrannous bore who isn't happy unless she's in charge
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Recent Examples of tyrannous
These tyrannous tabbies don’t understand that canning is not exclusively for wet food.
—
Julie Klausner, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
Indeed, Daniel Roher’s pulse-pumping documentary about the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has all the ingredients: a mysterious case of near-fatal poisoning, a web of for-hire hoodlums, Vladimir Putin as the tyrannous leader behind it all.
—Tomris Laffly, Harper's BAZAAR, 1 Feb. 2022
The same study posited that Fela was not the only popular musician who confronted the military and tyrannous leaders of Nigeria between independence in 1960 and Fela’s passing in 1997.
—Garhe Osiebe, Quartz Africa, 21 Feb. 2021
The patriarchs of their respective homes, Polonius (Peter Friedman) and Claudius (Ritchie Coster) enthrone themselves on the toilet, oblivious of the tumult their tyrannous treachery has wreaked. Syringes creepily replace swords.
—Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 19 Aug. 2017
Julie Klausner, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
Indeed, Daniel Roher’s pulse-pumping documentary about the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has all the ingredients: a mysterious case of near-fatal poisoning, a web of for-hire hoodlums, Vladimir Putin as the tyrannous leader behind it all.
—Tomris Laffly, Harper's BAZAAR, 1 Feb. 2022
The same study posited that Fela was not the only popular musician who confronted the military and tyrannous leaders of Nigeria between independence in 1960 and Fela’s passing in 1997.
—Garhe Osiebe, Quartz Africa, 21 Feb. 2021
The patriarchs of their respective homes, Polonius (Peter Friedman) and Claudius (Ritchie Coster) enthrone themselves on the toilet, oblivious of the tumult their tyrannous treachery has wreaked. Syringes creepily replace swords.
—Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 19 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyrannous
Adjective
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Cryptocurrency mixers can be essential tools for individuals who value privacy, including those living under oppressive regimes, journalists, whistleblowers, and businesses that require confidentiality in their transactions.—
Becca Bratcher,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
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Coventry became the minister of sports a year after the coup that removed Mugabe in the new administration of current President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe’s vice president who rights groups say has continued many of Mugabe’s oppressive policies.—
Gerald Imray,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Other writers and artists have also begun to mine this era for clues to China’s current authoritarian malaise.—
Ian Johnson,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2025
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The obvious split between a democratic Taiwan and an authoritarian China is an uncontestable reality and is part of the international consensus.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
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
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His morning rants and arbitrary policies only harm the economy.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
16 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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The film, based on Georges Simenon’s 1950 novel, stars Depardieu as a celebrated but tyrannical actor grappling with personal and professional decline.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Mar. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Hip-hop regenerates constantly, and yet there has been an almost despotic grip on the throne(s) for some time.—
Jon Caramanica,
New York Times,
24 Dec. 2024
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The notion that these companies were sovereign enclaves of pitilessly despotic geniuses is a myth of recent vintage.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
The New Yorker,
19 Feb. 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
Cite this Entry
“Tyrannous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyrannous. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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