as in tyrant
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
the despot exiled political dissidents to remote labor camps, where they were left to rot
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Recent Examples of despot
And a wary world was watching to see whether Syria was replacing one despot with another.
—
Richard Engel, NBC News, 9 Dec. 2024
Wicked the musical is based on a 1995 novel of the same title by Gregory Maguire, an anti-fascist treatise in which the Wizard becomes a Hitler-like despot.
—Constance Grady, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
In Eggers’ version, however, there is a broader conspiracy at play, which is why Orlok — a near-ringer for 15th century despot Vlad the Impaler — proffers a deceptive foreign-language contract, locks Thomas in his empty, decaying home and sets sail to be reunited with Ellen.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 2 Dec. 2024
Freedom of the press and access to reliable information are pillars of democracy—freedoms which aspiring despots can manipulate to manufacture convenient new narratives, and rise to power.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for despot 
Richard Engel, NBC News, 9 Dec. 2024
Wicked the musical is based on a 1995 novel of the same title by Gregory Maguire, an anti-fascist treatise in which the Wizard becomes a Hitler-like despot.
—Constance Grady, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
In Eggers’ version, however, there is a broader conspiracy at play, which is why Orlok — a near-ringer for 15th century despot Vlad the Impaler — proffers a deceptive foreign-language contract, locks Thomas in his empty, decaying home and sets sail to be reunited with Ellen.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 2 Dec. 2024
Freedom of the press and access to reliable information are pillars of democracy—freedoms which aspiring despots can manipulate to manufacture convenient new narratives, and rise to power.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for despot
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Cite this Entry
“Despot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despot. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
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