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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Recent Examples of pharaoh
For the first time since King Tut’s tomb was discovered in 1922, all of the pharaoh’s treasures will be stored in one place.
—
Christian Orozco, NBC news, 31 Oct. 2025
The announcement comes weeks after officials announced that a pharaoh's priceless bracelet had been stolen the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2025
The mysteries of Cleopatra’s death Despite her short life of just 39 years, Cleopatra made an impact on the ancient world as one of a handful of female rulers and the last pharaoh of Egypt.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
But part of the job of a pharaoh was to convey the message that the gods of the natural world were specifically and forever shining down upon them.
—Vanessa Taylor, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pharaoh
Christian Orozco, NBC news, 31 Oct. 2025
The announcement comes weeks after officials announced that a pharaoh's priceless bracelet had been stolen the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2025
The mysteries of Cleopatra’s death Despite her short life of just 39 years, Cleopatra made an impact on the ancient world as one of a handful of female rulers and the last pharaoh of Egypt.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
But part of the job of a pharaoh was to convey the message that the gods of the natural world were specifically and forever shining down upon them.
—Vanessa Taylor, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pharaoh
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pharaoh
Noun
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Its focus soon shifted to ousting dictator Slobodan Milosevic, using mass demonstrations and a general strike across the provinces to make its point.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
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Thousands of Libyans gathered Friday to mourn Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late dictator, at his funeral in northwestern Libya.—
Yousef Murad,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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When a tyrant falls, we may be tempted to imagine a final moment of tragic self-awareness—a personal reckoning, like Oedipus blinding himself, or Macbeth raging on the heath.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
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Ruling like a petty tyrant from the company’s headquarters in lower Manhattan, Coplan isn’t an easy boss to work with, according to new reporting by the Wall Street Journal.—
Joe Wilkins Published Feb 4,
Futurism,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pharaoh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pharaoh. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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