as in ruler
one who rules over a people with a sole, supreme, and usually hereditary authority
European autocrats once commonly believed that they had received the right to rule directly from God
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Recent Examples of autocrat
Although there is nothing uncommon about autocrats passing power to their children, Iran is a Shiite theocracy, and traditional Shiite philosophy strongly condemns hereditary rule.
—
Akbar Ganji, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2025
Trump has voiced personal admiration for both autocrats, but he’s also expected to seek concessions from each with an eye to evening an economic playing field between the US and China and ending Putin’s assault on Ukraine.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN, 22 Jan. 2025
Behind the scenes, the interviews showed, those tensions flared directly between Mr. Aliyev and Mr. Putin, even though the two autocrats have often found common ground.
—Anton Troianovski, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
Throughout history, the biggest threat to autocrats usually came from their own subordinates.
—Yuval Noah Harari, WIRED, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocrat
Akbar Ganji, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2025
Trump has voiced personal admiration for both autocrats, but he’s also expected to seek concessions from each with an eye to evening an economic playing field between the US and China and ending Putin’s assault on Ukraine.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN, 22 Jan. 2025
Behind the scenes, the interviews showed, those tensions flared directly between Mr. Aliyev and Mr. Putin, even though the two autocrats have often found common ground.
—Anton Troianovski, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
Throughout history, the biggest threat to autocrats usually came from their own subordinates.
—Yuval Noah Harari, WIRED, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocrat
Cite this Entry
“Autocrat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocrat. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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