as in dictator
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
a Latin-American strongman who basically treated his nation's coffers as his personal bank account
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of strongman
The perception that Maduro gave away oil to keep himself in power has made some Venezuelans more comfortable with the idea of giving oil to America, the country that got rid of the strongman.
—
The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
Peace for Rome was tantamount to victory for Rome – or, as in this case, for one of Rome’s strongmen.
—Timothy Joseph, The Conversation, 21 Jan. 2026
Even so, although the President’s intrinsic sympathies are with strongmen—Putin, Orbán, Kim—his strategic interests in Iran are with the protesters.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
Those pardoned include strongman Chun Doo-hwan, who received the death penalty at a district court over his 1979 coup, the bloody 1980 crackdowns of pro-democracy protests that killed about 200 people, and other crimes.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strongman
The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
Peace for Rome was tantamount to victory for Rome – or, as in this case, for one of Rome’s strongmen.
—Timothy Joseph, The Conversation, 21 Jan. 2026
Even so, although the President’s intrinsic sympathies are with strongmen—Putin, Orbán, Kim—his strategic interests in Iran are with the protesters.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
Those pardoned include strongman Chun Doo-hwan, who received the death penalty at a district court over his 1979 coup, the bloody 1980 crackdowns of pro-democracy protests that killed about 200 people, and other crimes.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strongman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strongman
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
“Strongman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strongman. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
