as in monarchs
one who rules over a people with a sole, supreme, and usually hereditary authority
the aging ruler agonized over the choice of an heir
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Recent Examples of rulers
Kōnane was once a national pastime, played by peasants and rulers alike.
—
Matt Negrin, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 2025
In early civilizations, debasement occurred when rulers lowered the amount of precious metal in coins.
—Alex Pron, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The following year, Jenna Ortega wore a Balmain creation made from silver tailoring tape and metallic rulers, an avant-garde nod to the artistry of couture construction.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 19 Sep. 2025
Experts fear the growing age gap between rulers and the ruled could feed unrest on a continent already facing cascading crises.
—semafor.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The style, which was championed by both ancient Egyptian rulers and early 2000s R&B recording artists, has transcended time and culture, cementing itself as a fan-favorite jewelry piece.
—Samantha Solomon, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2025
Yet Gulf rulers also share strategic goals with Israel.
—David Mednicoff, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025
Inspired by the colonial Singapore gangsters rulers, four girls, at a modern-day regimented elite secondary school form their own gang cam-recording petty acts of rebellion, led by firebrand freethinking lesbian Choo Xin Yu.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
Pisces transits remind us that endings are beginnings in disguise, and with Jupiter in Cancer as one of the chart rulers of the lunar eclipse, many of us have been feeling emotions rise to the surface in tidal waves this past week.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 7 Sep. 2025
Matt Negrin, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 2025
In early civilizations, debasement occurred when rulers lowered the amount of precious metal in coins.
—Alex Pron, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The following year, Jenna Ortega wore a Balmain creation made from silver tailoring tape and metallic rulers, an avant-garde nod to the artistry of couture construction.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 19 Sep. 2025
Experts fear the growing age gap between rulers and the ruled could feed unrest on a continent already facing cascading crises.
—semafor.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The style, which was championed by both ancient Egyptian rulers and early 2000s R&B recording artists, has transcended time and culture, cementing itself as a fan-favorite jewelry piece.
—Samantha Solomon, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2025
Yet Gulf rulers also share strategic goals with Israel.
—David Mednicoff, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025
Inspired by the colonial Singapore gangsters rulers, four girls, at a modern-day regimented elite secondary school form their own gang cam-recording petty acts of rebellion, led by firebrand freethinking lesbian Choo Xin Yu.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
Pisces transits remind us that endings are beginnings in disguise, and with Jupiter in Cancer as one of the chart rulers of the lunar eclipse, many of us have been feeling emotions rise to the surface in tidal waves this past week.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rulers
Noun
-
Neither a Muslim majority democratic government nor a more hard-line nationalist variant in Iran would sit well with nearby Gulf monarchs.—
David Mednicoff,
The Conversation,
9 Sep. 2025
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That those women and men who died to end slavery, to win basic rights, to win the vote, to dethrone monarchs and destroy the ancien régime, to fight Czarism and fascism and Nazism and imperialism and apartheid, were in some way our moral betters.—
Jack Sheehan
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But several years after his burial, his body was reinterred to lie beside Psusennes I, one of the most powerful kings of the period.—
Lianne Kolirin,
CNN Money,
17 Sep. 2025
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And the matchup presents a head-to-head befitting the occasion as the reigning Dutch champion hosts the defending kings of Belgium's top flight.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Credit rating agencies are sharpening their focus on climate vulnerability, raising questions about whether sectors or sovereigns with large protection gaps could face higher borrowing costs.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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By the finale, the galactic chessboard is crowded with players—emperors, rebels, prophets, impostors—but as Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) warned in the very first episode, the center cannot hold.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
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Japan traditionally had male emperors, but female succession was permitted.—
Mari Yamaguchi,
Twin Cities,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rulers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rulers. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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