strongman
noun
strong·man
ˈstrȯŋ-ˌman 
: one who leads or controls by force of will and character or by military methods
Examples of strongman in a Sentence
a Latin-American strongman who basically treated his nation's coffers as his personal bank account
Recent Examples on the Web
Rodríguez, who took office following the January capture of strongman Nicolás Maduro, said the new figure — a combination of salary and state bonuses — would apply to public workers and should be mirrored by private employers whose wages fall below that level.
—
Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
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.
—Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026
The narrative centers on Roh Tae-woo, a man who cultivates a public image as an everyman while working the levers of influence alongside military strongman Chun Doo-hwan.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026
After 16 years, Hungarians had voted their strongman leader, Viktor Orbán, out of office.
—Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2026
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Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
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.
—Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026
The narrative centers on Roh Tae-woo, a man who cultivates a public image as an everyman while working the levers of influence alongside military strongman Chun Doo-hwan.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026
After 16 years, Hungarians had voted their strongman leader, Viktor Orbán, out of office.
—Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strongman
Cite this Entry
“Strongman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strongman. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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