as in dictatorship
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
a popular uprising replaced that nation's tyranny with freedom and democracy
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tyranny
Of course, the titular Boys will try their best to end his tyranny.
—
Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
But his stance against the president’s tyranny is a call to action in the same vein as John Paul II’s exhortation to the free world to oppose the Soviet empire.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Establishing an entirely new and competing agency is merely the pursuit of a bureaucratic gravy train, and providing it with incentives to abuse power in order to boost its own coffers is an invitation to tyranny.
—Adam Summers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Yet, by God’s grace, my Hispanic grandparents immigrated to the United States on July 4, 1976, and have cherished the freedoms from tyranny that have come with living here ever since.
—Stephen Mitchell, Baltimore Sun, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tyranny
Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
But his stance against the president’s tyranny is a call to action in the same vein as John Paul II’s exhortation to the free world to oppose the Soviet empire.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Establishing an entirely new and competing agency is merely the pursuit of a bureaucratic gravy train, and providing it with incentives to abuse power in order to boost its own coffers is an invitation to tyranny.
—Adam Summers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Yet, by God’s grace, my Hispanic grandparents immigrated to the United States on July 4, 1976, and have cherished the freedoms from tyranny that have come with living here ever since.
—Stephen Mitchell, Baltimore Sun, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tyranny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyranny
Noun
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Anti-dictatorship, but for kids Serkis scrubs the story of its violence, at least in any graphic manner.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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In a nation that has long prided itself on a free and vibrant news media, rights watchdogs and lawmakers from across the political spectrum denounced the move as an attack on the press without precedent since the end of Argentina’s military dictatorship in 1983.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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It was penned to expose the mechanics of corruption at a point in time when Orwell believed the issue of fascism was of the utmost urgency.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2026
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Our militaries fought and won in two World Wars for liberty and against fascism.—
Stephen Doughty,
Boston Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Eight decades later, as nations inch toward despotism, an art animated by democratic impulses makes a stronger case for itself.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
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The hope is that the institutional reforms started by the interim administration of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus deliver the necessary checks and balances to avert another lurch toward despotism.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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If Magyar fails to fix the system and deliver results, a return to autocracy would be likely.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
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Since 2021, the state has been grappling with slowing economic output, weaning itself off a property market bubble, and trying to find a balance between promoting a free market and stock exchange within a one-party autocracy.—
Joseph Wilkins,Sean Conlon,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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While the Russian government has taken steps in the past to acknowledge the culpability of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin and his regime, some Russian-language commentators see the display as a massive step back toward denying the crimes of totalitarianism.—
Nathan Hodge,
CNN Money,
16 Apr. 2026
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American freedom was the antidote to the icy grip of totalitarianism, whether from Nazis or Communists.—
Peter S. Canellos,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Garber’s book offers reason to think that the decline of reading and the rise of authoritarianism are twinned forms of disempowerment.—
Charlie Tyson,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes the reader back in time to examine the state of nature debate and the origins of authoritarianism versus democratic forms of government.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Iran’s ruling system is often described in political terms, but critics and former insiders say its core is far more radical — a belief structure rooted in religious absolutism, messianic expectation and a worldview that leaves little room for compromise.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
5 Apr. 2026
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Advice or even just notions—only check email after noon; never do 10 reps of crunches—solidify into absolutism or vanish.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tyranny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyranny. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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