as in rulers
one who rules over a people with a sole, supreme, and usually hereditary authority
Charles inherited the position of potentate of the Holy Roman Empire from his grandfather, as well that of king of Spain from his father
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Recent Examples of potentates
With 775 rooms, the palace also provides office space for the royal bureaucracy and hosts lavish state dinners for visiting presidents and potentates.
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CBS News,
26 June 2026
With 775 rooms, the palace also provides office space for the royal bureaucracy and hosts lavish state dinners for visiting presidents and potentates.
—
Danica Kirka,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2026
Biden put this sentiment into action by working with Netanyahu despite serious moral and political failures in Gaza, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on NATO expansion, and with Gulf potentates on the region’s security architecture.
—
James Jeffrey,
Foreign Affairs,
13 Nov. 2025
CBS News,
26 June 2026
With 775 rooms, the palace also provides office space for the royal bureaucracy and hosts lavish state dinners for visiting presidents and potentates.
—
Danica Kirka,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2026
Biden put this sentiment into action by working with Netanyahu despite serious moral and political failures in Gaza, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on NATO expansion, and with Gulf potentates on the region’s security architecture.
—
James Jeffrey,
Foreign Affairs,
13 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for potentates
Noun
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Since overthrowing the Assad dynasty, Syria’s new rulers have struggled to exert control across the country and to check extremist groups.
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For 28 years and counting, Venezuela’s rulers have stolen or squandered much of the oil revenue of the most oil-rich country in the world.
Noun
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And in a place where celebrity passersby and visiting monarchs typically get the same collective shrug, a certain exuberance appeared.
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Virginia may have established a representative body, the House of Burgesses, in 1619, but the mid-century Cavalier elite continued to accept the divine right of kings as the Stuart monarchs had propounded it.
Noun
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The bell’s pyramidal face is decorated with depictions of deceased kings and queens, and its toll was believed to invoke ancestral spirits.
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Little is yet known about the jewelry and its significance, but Gordon believes that the jewelry was once worn by the kings and queens of an ancient Khmer Empire that spanned Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand, and existed for hundreds of years.
Cite this Entry
“Potentates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/potentates. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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