as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
the Magna Carta is historically important because it signified the British rejection of autocracy and constituted the first formal restraining of the power of the monarch
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of autocracy
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
Oil and autocracy in Venezuela The currency of exchange between America and Venezuela is oil.
—
Boris Muñoz,
Time,
3 Apr. 2026
Researchers argued that career anxiety under autocracy creates both pro-regime henchmen and anti-regime plotters.
—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
For example, in the 1930s, four major democracies (Germany, Japan, Italy, and Spain) became autocracies.
—
Ray Dalio,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for autocracy
Joseph Wilkins,sean Conlon,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
Oil and autocracy in Venezuela The currency of exchange between America and Venezuela is oil.
—
Boris Muñoz,
Time,
3 Apr. 2026
Researchers argued that career anxiety under autocracy creates both pro-regime henchmen and anti-regime plotters.
—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
For example, in the 1930s, four major democracies (Germany, Japan, Italy, and Spain) became autocracies.
—
Ray Dalio,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for autocracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autocracy
Noun
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For every Founding Father looking to free the colonies from British tyranny, there was a Larry (often called Lawrence here) who suggests that sharing desserts and umbrellas should be prohibited by the Declaration of Independence.
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In Shiite communities, Ashoura is viewed as a symbol of struggle against injustice and tyranny.
Noun
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His story stretches beyond sports, touching one of Haiti’s many mysteries of Haiti’s brutal Duvalier dictatorship and reflecting on the outsize role Haitians have long played in shaping American history.
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Virtually all contemporary dictatorships are cosplay democracies with term limits, elections, and legislatures—the few ruling, as Amos Perlmutter put it, in the name of the many.
Noun
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This book keeps my feet on the ground and my heart connected to the greater pulse suffering under late-stage capitalism and fascism.
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Through blood-curdling howls and rants about fascism, fraud, and fighting to understand your identity, Truck Violence push through ugliness to find something more unaltered and real.
Noun
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The nation which will not adopt an equilibrium of power must adopt a despotism.
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His dream was nothing less than a new reality, a hopeful future free of despotism, ruled by equality and liberty, rather than kings and queens.
Noun
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The Democratic Socialists of America describes it as a system that prioritizes the needs of ordinary people while rejecting authoritarianism.
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This revival finds new power in the intimate story of a family learning to love again set against one of the most consequential moments of the twentieth century, as the Nazi regime rises to power and authoritarianism encroaches on daily life.
Cite this Entry
“Autocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocracy. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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