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Autos in Greek means "same" or "self", so in an autocratic government all the power is held by the leader him- or herself. Autocratic governments are often called dictatorships, or sometimes autocracies. In everyday life, a teacher, a parent, or a football coach can all behave like autocrats as well.
Synonyms of autocratic
Examples of autocratic in a Sentence
democracy is supposed to protect the people against the rise of autocratic rulers
an autocratic Boy Scout leader who is under the delusion that he's still an army colonel
Recent Examples on the Web
Rácz has been interpreted as a foil to Vladimír Mečiar, a real-life politician who served as Slovakia’s prime minister between 1990 and 1998 and was heavily criticized for his autocratic tendencies, strongman persona, and ties to organized crime.
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Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026
The company fears that in an effort to crack down on espionage, the Defense Department might create monitoring capabilities that supersede even the Chinese Communist Party’s, sliding America into an autocratic AI regime.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
The authority’s popularity has been weakened by corruption and autocratic rule, its failure to establish an independent state while Israel expands West Bank settlements, and divisions with Hamas.
—Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
The country was once very free online, remarkable given President Vladimir Putin’s autocratic rule, but more recently access to global messaging apps has been restricted and the internet has been completely shut down at times as Moscow has sought to silence criticism.
—Semafor Events, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
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Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026
The company fears that in an effort to crack down on espionage, the Defense Department might create monitoring capabilities that supersede even the Chinese Communist Party’s, sliding America into an autocratic AI regime.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
The authority’s popularity has been weakened by corruption and autocratic rule, its failure to establish an independent state while Israel expands West Bank settlements, and divisions with Hamas.
—Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
The country was once very free online, remarkable given President Vladimir Putin’s autocratic rule, but more recently access to global messaging apps has been restricted and the internet has been completely shut down at times as Moscow has sought to silence criticism.
—Semafor Events, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for autocratic
Cite this Entry
“Autocratic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autocratic. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
autocratic
adjective
au·to·crat·ic
ˌȯt-ə-ˈkrat-ik 
: of, relating to, or resembling autocracy or an autocrat
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