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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tyranny
Get Into the Holiday Spirit by Watching Mariah Carey Bake Christmas Cookies
Famous for its iconic title song, 9 to 5 follows Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda as a trio of fiery secretaries who topple the tyranny of their sexist, bigoted boss (Dabney Coleman).
—
Lauren Sanchez, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024
Your phone now frees you from the tyranny of the sports book as a bettor, so why not also break free of the food, beverage, viewing and creature comfort constraints?
—Larry Olmsted, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
There’s a wealth of themes to plumb, from familial trauma to addiction to sexism to the tyranny of genius, but its core exploration of the sacrifice required to be an artist is exhilarating, brutal, and intoxicating.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 11 Dec. 2024
The collapse of the Assad regime, the tyranny in Damascus, offers great opportunity but also is fraught with significant dangers.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tyranny 
Lauren Sanchez, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024
Your phone now frees you from the tyranny of the sports book as a bettor, so why not also break free of the food, beverage, viewing and creature comfort constraints?
—Larry Olmsted, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
There’s a wealth of themes to plumb, from familial trauma to addiction to sexism to the tyranny of genius, but its core exploration of the sacrifice required to be an artist is exhilarating, brutal, and intoxicating.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 11 Dec. 2024
The collapse of the Assad regime, the tyranny in Damascus, offers great opportunity but also is fraught with significant dangers.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tyranny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyranny
Noun
-
Since the peaceful revolution against the Assad dictatorship in 2012, the United States found ways to advance change.Brandon Hoffman, New York Daily News, 16 Jan. 2025
-
For his part, Rubio kept a serious stance while making his case for the new role and speaking out against dictatorship regimes, but also, kept several exchanges with senators lighter at times.Claudia Grisales, NPR, 15 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Juan Bernabe, 56, was already a controversial figure at the club for his open support of fascism, but his up-and-down career came to an end after Sunday’s Instagram posts, The Athletic reported.Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2025
-
The series tells the story of the birth of fascism in Italy and the rise to power of Benito Mussolini.Billboard Italy, Billboard, 13 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Western governments have burdened Georgia with a special status as a democracy-in-the-making in a region otherwise beset by despotism.Christian Caryl, Foreign Affairs, 26 Dec. 2024
-
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
Noun
-
In response, autocracies such as China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia militarize against the United States and try to divide its alliances and subvert its democracy.Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
-
According to a European survey of more than two hundred countries, 2022 was the first time in two decades that closed autocracies outnumbered liberal democracies in the world.Chang Che, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
The book, which was written in 1948, focuses on the consequences of totalitarianism, the government’s mass surveillance of the public and how truth and fact can be manipulated.Rachel Flynn, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025
-
Despite a propaganda campaign encouraging all Americans to come together and do their part to defeat the Axis and totalitarianism, the U.S. military remained rigidly segregated with people of color subjugated into subordinate roles and Black soldiers discriminated against abroad and at home.Tracie Canada / Made by History, TIME, 1 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
In our skies as in our social lives, incremental change, like ring rain, seems to work slowly, while acts of frightening absolutism seem to happen overnight.Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2024
-
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
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 21 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share