variants
also tyrannic
1
as in oppressive
exercising power or authority without interference by others
a tyrannical ruler whose terrible reign was marked by unceasing violence
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in domineering
fond of ordering people around
even when he was still a toddler, he tended to be a tyrannical playmate
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tyrannical
However, some new reevaluations of primary source documents and ethnobotanical fieldwork now suggests there was more to the madman than tyrannical bloodlust.
—
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 10 July 2025
Today, a group of immigrant plaintiffs bear the same banner of freedom against the tyrannical immigration policies of Trump and his new travel ban.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
Separated by accident from his colony, Remy ends up hiding out at Gusteau’s old restaurant, now owned by the tyrannical, rat-hating chef Skinner.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2025
Winter Harvest’s brilliance is filling in the gaps between where Demeter appears in myths: first fighting against her tyrannical parents and later growing up to become a violently protective mother.
—John Wiswell, People.com, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for tyrannical
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 10 July 2025
Today, a group of immigrant plaintiffs bear the same banner of freedom against the tyrannical immigration policies of Trump and his new travel ban.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
Separated by accident from his colony, Remy ends up hiding out at Gusteau’s old restaurant, now owned by the tyrannical, rat-hating chef Skinner.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2025
Winter Harvest’s brilliance is filling in the gaps between where Demeter appears in myths: first fighting against her tyrannical parents and later growing up to become a violently protective mother.
—John Wiswell, People.com, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for tyrannical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyrannical
Adjective
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In many areas along and east of the Mississippi River, heat index values could soar to between 110 and 115 degrees — the kind of oppressive heat that can quickly turn dangerous without proper precautions.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Austin American Statesman,
23 July 2025
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The phrase describes a process by which plants, including corn, release water vapor into the air and increase humidity, contributing to the feel of oppressive heat.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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Louise Fletcher portrays the domineering head nurse Ratched.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
6 July 2025
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But Agnes can’t stop barking orders, leaving the household staff at a loss over who to listen to — their domineering former boss or the woman signing their paychecks.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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While Western democracies debate environmental reviews and grid reliability, authoritarian systems can rapidly direct energy flows to computing infrastructure.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
-
North Korea is under sanctions from the United States — as well as the United Nations and several other countries — largely in response to the isolated authoritarian state's weapons programs.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Beyond their records, Ali and Usyk share other similarities, such as brilliant footwork, masterful defense and an Einstein-level boxing IQ.—
Anthony Stitt,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
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Known for his signature visual style and masterful tension-building in crime stories, Kim now turns his lens to the glamorous yet cutthroat world of K-Pop, exploring the fierce desires and ambitions that drive it.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
20 July 2025
Adjective
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The result is an end to the era of NGOs—a great loss for the people who have relied on these organizations’ services, and a boon to autocratic governments that have seen their advocacy as a threat.—
SARAH BUSH,
Foreign Affairs,
3 July 2025
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That changed in 1979 when Iran’s pro-American autocratic ruler, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, was overthrown and the regime known as the Islamic Republic, which still rules Iran today, was established.—
Zack Beauchamp,
Vox,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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Napoleon, the pig who takes despotic control of the farm following the revolution — voiced with haughty gusto by Seth Rogen — bears an uncanny resemblance to the current occupant of the White House.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2025
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Bernal as a despotic and at times deluded Magellan persuades the Spanish Crown to fund his bold 16th century expedition to the fabled lands of the East, only to unleash a decade of devastation wreaked by European conquistadors in the Pacific as part of colonial conquests.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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There are no longer arbitrary divisions in which people say that different functions aren’t their job or concern.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
Marylanders deserve a civil justice system that recognizes the full scope of human suffering and empowers citizen juries to render verdicts based on evidence rather than arbitrary limitations.—
Bruce M. Plaxen,
Baltimore Sun,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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Unlike Joseph Stalin, Putin has not maximized the state’s dictatorial potential.—
MICHAEL KIMMAGE,
Foreign Affairs,
16 July 2025
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The Big Beautiful Bill is supposed to revitalize our economy, but the president who asked for it is destroying that economy with his erratic, uninformed and ill-judged dictatorial outbursts.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
13 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tyrannical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyrannical. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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