1
as in oppressive
exercising power or authority without interference by others
a nation ruled by a series of despotic rulers, each seemingly worse than the last
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in authoritarian
fond of ordering people around
the despotic coach demands that his players obey him without question
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despotic
Healing the nation Up to 1,400 people were killed in the July 2024 revolution that toppled Hasina in addition to some 3,500 extrajudicially disappeared during the last 15 years of her despotic reign.
—
Charlie Campbell, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
The first Mistborn trilogy of books centered on metal-using magicians who attempt to overthrow a despotic empire.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 28 Jan. 2026
For close to 50 years, the government of Iran has been one of the most despotic and destabilizing forces in the world.
—Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 8 Jan. 2026
Soon, Venezuelan Jews joined others in the country in growing sharply concerned about a crackdown on civil liberties, the worsening economy and Chávez’s praise for despotic leaders such as Saddam Hussein.
—Larry Luxner, Sun Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for despotic
Charlie Campbell, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
The first Mistborn trilogy of books centered on metal-using magicians who attempt to overthrow a despotic empire.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 28 Jan. 2026
For close to 50 years, the government of Iran has been one of the most despotic and destabilizing forces in the world.
—Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 8 Jan. 2026
Soon, Venezuelan Jews joined others in the country in growing sharply concerned about a crackdown on civil liberties, the worsening economy and Chávez’s praise for despotic leaders such as Saddam Hussein.
—Larry Luxner, Sun Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for despotic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despotic
Adjective
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An especially visually striking debut, Mosquitoes exists in a saturated hyperreality that is consummately engrossing, and announces the Bertani sisters as formidable portraitists of girlhood cast against the backdrop of an alternately beautiful and oppressive world.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Snakes, freeways, difficult men and Didion’s quiet brutality hang in the air like the oppressive heat of this unusually warm spring day.—
Maddie Connors,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Advertisement The orthodox and authoritarian left in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela has, in many ways, sabotaged and delayed the renewal of the Latin American left.—
Carlos Manuel Alvarez,
Time,
24 Apr. 2026
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Snow’s life’s work has been sustaining a Hobbesian authoritarian government.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The fundamental processes governing brain health — genetics, neural and synaptic plasticity, and neuroinflammation — do not respect the arbitrary boundaries drawn between neurology and psychiatry.—
Eric J. Nestler,
STAT,
28 Apr. 2026
-
White-Jacket did cause a stir with its discussion of the arbitrary and cruel use of flogging in the US Navy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The new biopic of Jackson from director Antoine Fuqua and the Jackson estate paints the gloved one as the one true victim — a harmless Peter Pan figure whose own childhood was snatched away by a domineering father.—
Marlow Stern,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
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Joseph has a cruel and domineering air about him.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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The series has devolved into a hysteria that the young and arrogant Timberwolves feed on since that first quarter of Game 2.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
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However, many thought Tilson Thomas too brash and arrogant to lead an orchestra, and, around the same time, Tilson Thomas fell in with New York’s disco-hopping crowd.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Beyond blood, these women are tied together by destiny and the decisions of the violent and tyrannical men surrounding them.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
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All the orchestration and glamour of the rally, the glory of the Leader, was meant to tell a story—of a nation wounded from within, of a fifth column, of tyrannical foreign countries, of an economic crisis, and of a grandiose account of renewal and coming greatness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The upper ranks of the dictatorial regime’s leadership have been decimated.—
Kazem Kazerounian,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Aggressive, a bit dictatorial’.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Despotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despotic. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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