as in dictator
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
like some pharaoh of a third-world country, more interested in building monuments to himself than in creating a future for his people
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pharaoh
To tell the pharaoh's story in depth, NPR art director Jackie Lay lays out Hatshepsut's history through illustrations.
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Brittney Melton,
NPR,
3 Apr. 2026
Should anyone ever find themselves in a real jam, like imprisonment by a vengeful pharaoh or life-threatening thirst, God pops by long enough to get the story back on track.
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Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Mar. 2026
Ultimately, the pharaoh’s prescient spiritual optimism comes in conflict with the all-powerful establishment priests, who kill Akhnaten and Nefertiti.
—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
In Egypt, the first female pharaoh Hatshepsut presents a fascinating case of artists figuring out how to treat a female body in a traditionally male role.
—
Anna Swartwood House,
The Conversation,
2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pharaoh
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
3 Apr. 2026
Should anyone ever find themselves in a real jam, like imprisonment by a vengeful pharaoh or life-threatening thirst, God pops by long enough to get the story back on track.
—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Mar. 2026
Ultimately, the pharaoh’s prescient spiritual optimism comes in conflict with the all-powerful establishment priests, who kill Akhnaten and Nefertiti.
—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
In Egypt, the first female pharaoh Hatshepsut presents a fascinating case of artists figuring out how to treat a female body in a traditionally male role.
—
Anna Swartwood House,
The Conversation,
2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pharaoh
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pharaoh
Noun
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Its flint-hearted ferocity was a return to what the dynasts of the past—warlords, kings, and dictators—would find routine.
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And following the ousting of longtime dictator Bashir Al-Assad, Syria continues to have armed conflict and sectarian violence.
Noun
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These were the grounds of revolution in 1776 and what colonists held to be the markings of a tyrant.
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Aegon, dragged out of King’s Landing by spymaster Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) in an effort to save him from the fratricidal Aemond, gets an up-close look at the petty tyrants who have sprouted up in the countryside thanks to his impetuous rule.
Cite this Entry
“Pharaoh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pharaoh. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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