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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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.
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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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But the backdrops are rendered with an oppressive prettiness that has a perverse cheapening effect.Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2025
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The total absence of shadow is an oppressive sensation, which engenders a feeling similar to that of claustrophobia.New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Yoon’s order faced fierce backlash from the public and lawmakers across the political spectrum, reviving painful memories of the country’s authoritarian past.Gawon Bae, CNN, 15 Jan. 2025
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Yes, dollars circulated in authoritarian, murderous Syria because market goods did.John Tamny, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Pay special attention to changing policies or franchises imposing additional fees that seem arbitrary or exploitative.Michael McFall, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
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The outcomes can feel especially arbitrary when everyone is telling more or less the same story.Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The only thing left to contend with is her domineering mother, the formidable 90-year-old Lenore Simmons Krackenberry, who is obsessed with family lineage and Southern heritage.Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2025
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Smith is fantastic and terrifying as Mrs. Medlock in The Secret Garden, the stentorian nurse and housekeeper whose domineering overcautiousness feeds into all the self-pitying inclinations of her poor weakling charge Colin Craven.Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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Teamsters officials later complained that Harris, who would go on to lose all seven battleground states, was arrogant in her dealings with them.W. James Antle III, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 30 Dec. 2024
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Russia, Iran, and many other countries criticize U.S. military interventions as arrogant, ignorant of local context, and unable to fashion either stable regimes or effective security structures.Alexander Baunov, Foreign Affairs, 26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Cortland sawing off his own arm and serving it to his tyrannical father — that’s pretty straightforward.Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2025
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The original Caligari, in which a mysterious doctor and his fortune-telling somnambulist commit a series of murders and drive two young people to madness, is often regarded as a critique of Germans’ blind obedience to tyrannical authority during the First World War.Elle Carroll, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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But Valery, despite his lack of power in a despotic system, is able to help others, and finds a way to not just survive his pain but also live with its lasting effects.Vanessa Armstrong, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
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Assad's fall is a globally resonant message that such despotic regimes cannot endure indefinitely.Paul du Quenoy, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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For these countries, there is far less concern about Trump’s autocratic tendencies and contempt for liberal internationalist ideals.Bilahari Kausikan, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
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Nicaragua's become even more autocratic this year, and recent blackouts in Cuba illustrate how difficult living there is for many.Marina E. Franco (Noticias Telemundo for Axios), Axios, 10 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near tyrannous
Cite this Entry
“Tyrannous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyrannous. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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