as in dictators
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
a Latin-American strongman who basically treated his nation's coffers as his personal bank account
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Recent Examples of strongmen
Min Aung Hlaing’s ascent to the presidency follows a tradition of military strongmen installing themselves as the nation’s top leader and seeking to legitimize their rule through unfair elections.
—
ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
The father and son strongmen have frequently paired up to train together and have been spotted rehearsing the elegant poses that made Schwarzenegger a star.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
America does not belong to strongmen, greedy billionaires, or those who rule through fear.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 28 Mar. 2026
With such a destructive geopolitical conflict driven by several strongmen leaders, the industry was always going to feel the ramifications.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026
Nor do strongmen have a pristine record as economic stewards.
—Alaa Shahine Salha, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
The trouble, to paraphrase Adam Phillips, is that strongmen tend to bring out the strongman in us all.
—Emily Chamlee-Wright, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
Peace for Rome was tantamount to victory for Rome – or, as in this case, for one of Rome’s strongmen.
—Timothy Joseph, The Conversation, 21 Jan. 2026
Even so, although the President’s intrinsic sympathies are with strongmen—Putin, Orbán, Kim—his strategic interests in Iran are with the protesters.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
The father and son strongmen have frequently paired up to train together and have been spotted rehearsing the elegant poses that made Schwarzenegger a star.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
America does not belong to strongmen, greedy billionaires, or those who rule through fear.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 28 Mar. 2026
With such a destructive geopolitical conflict driven by several strongmen leaders, the industry was always going to feel the ramifications.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026
Nor do strongmen have a pristine record as economic stewards.
—Alaa Shahine Salha, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
The trouble, to paraphrase Adam Phillips, is that strongmen tend to bring out the strongman in us all.
—Emily Chamlee-Wright, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
Peace for Rome was tantamount to victory for Rome – or, as in this case, for one of Rome’s strongmen.
—Timothy Joseph, The Conversation, 21 Jan. 2026
Even so, although the President’s intrinsic sympathies are with strongmen—Putin, Orbán, Kim—his strategic interests in Iran are with the protesters.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strongmen
Noun
-
Even under military threat, many dictators and authoritarian leaders — Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia, Bashar al-Assad in Syria and earlier this year, Maduro in Venezuela — have chosen resistance until the last minute.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
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Years later, as Ukraine fights a war to defend its democracy — to preserve a state where institutions serve the people rather than dictators, where the press remains independent, and where citizens can shape the politics around them — the contrast between the two countries is striking.—
Nataliya Gumenyuk,
The Dial,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Ready to meet the season's new allies, enemies, tyrants, and giants?—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strongmen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strongmen. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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