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
Nations can’t just blink away the nightmares of authoritarianism or assume that removing a strongman will resolve the societal conditions that led to his rise.
—
Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Even with the former strongman now sitting in a US jail, that’s a hard sell.
—Peter Millard, Bloomberg, 12 Mar. 2026
When a tourist handed him a camera to record a few snapshots, the guide inadvertently captured scenes of a peaceful demonstration against the regime of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026
Why would the Iraqi strongman have lied to his own generals?
—Arkansas Online, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strongman
Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Even with the former strongman now sitting in a US jail, that’s a hard sell.
—Peter Millard, Bloomberg, 12 Mar. 2026
When a tourist handed him a camera to record a few snapshots, the guide inadvertently captured scenes of a peaceful demonstration against the regime of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026
Why would the Iraqi strongman have lied to his own generals?
—Arkansas Online, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strongman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strongman
Noun
-
The delegation — the first since Russian dictator Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea in March 2014 — was headed, symbolically, by Vyacheslav Nikonov, a lawmaker from Putin’s United Russia party and the grandson of Joseph Stalin’s Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov.—
Vladimir Kara-Murza,
Washington Post,
3 Apr. 2026
-
More like a memo from the dictator, telling gullible loyalists what to think.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Trump wants to rule over us as a tyrant.—
Killian Baarlaer,
Louisville Courier Journal,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Colletti joins One Piece as Wapol, a tyrant and adversary to the Straw Hats.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strongman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strongman. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
