variants
also tyrannic
1
as in oppressive
exercising power or authority without interference by others
a tyrannical ruler whose terrible reign was marked by unceasing violence
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in authoritarian
fond of ordering people around
even when he was still a toddler, he tended to be a tyrannical playmate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tyrannical
Virginia senators want to inflict their tyrannical gun strategy on entire country.
—
FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
In the play, Caesar’s advisers Cassius and Brutus hatch a plot to murder the ever more tyrannical leader of the Roman republic.
—Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
The movie opens in 1966, when Michael was roughly 8 and his tyrannical father Joe, played by Colman Domingo, is beating and berating his five young sons to push them to stardom.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 26 Apr. 2026
The Uprising centers on the untold story of a rebellion against tyrannical King Richard II.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tyrannical
FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
In the play, Caesar’s advisers Cassius and Brutus hatch a plot to murder the ever more tyrannical leader of the Roman republic.
—Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
The movie opens in 1966, when Michael was roughly 8 and his tyrannical father Joe, played by Colman Domingo, is beating and berating his five young sons to push them to stardom.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 26 Apr. 2026
The Uprising centers on the untold story of a rebellion against tyrannical King Richard II.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tyrannical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyrannical
Adjective
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Beyond its pleasures as a noir, the chronicle of Kolechko’s fight against nascent Soviet power easily reminds one of present-day Ukraine’s struggle to preserve its dignity in the face of oppressive forces.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
-
But the sweltering, sticky, oppressive facepalm of summer doesn’t make the other seasons more palatable.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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Ben-Gvir, in addition to being an authoritarian racist, is a bona fide criminal.—
Avi Issacharoff,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2026
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Fernandez didn’t mince words in his statement and accused Lago, Anderson and Lara of using authoritarian tactics to silence and hurt those who go against them.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
22 May 2026
Adjective
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In Louisiana, Democrats raised concerns about mandatory jail time for disrupting services and warned that the laws were too arbitrary, suggesting that they could be applied against a congregant for singing out of turn as a pastor delivers a homily.—
Jack Brook,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
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The act of administering sports competition involves enforcing a collection of arbitrary lines; the act of watching sports involves seeing what athletes can do within those lines.—
Ellen Cushing,
The Atlantic,
25 May 2026
Adjective
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Among those acolytes is Lucien (Jérémy Gillet), a reedy, repressed young virgin who yearns to be part of the gay community but hasn’t the courage to come out to his domineering mother Christine (Elisabeth Wiener), who also just happens to be the country’s very right-wing health minister.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
23 May 2026
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Down at the bottom of the hierarchy, or really not ranked at all, is Lucien (Jérémy Gillet), a fey and cosseted twink of privilege who longs to meet Jim but is kept at home, safely away from anything gay, by his domineering mother.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
Adjective
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Magyar, whose center-right Tisza party defeated far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his nationalist-populist Fidesz in an earthquake election last month, has vowed to dismantle the political and economic system his autocratic predecessor spent 16 years building.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
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After two tournaments in autocratic countries (Russia and Qatar), where FIFA could order up stadiums à la carte, the coming 2026 iteration has required the messy work of dealmaking in democratic societies.—
Henry Grabar,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
Adjective
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Public policy decisions always need to strive for middle ground, and those leadership decisions often referred to as arrogant can just as easily be called principled leadership.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
23 May 2026
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Some readers will probably hear a billionaire crediting luck and dismiss it as false modesty, the kind of thing people say to avoid sounding arrogant.—
Brandon Kochkodin,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Adjective
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The Academy rules work for countries with democratic governments but not for countries with despotic regimes.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
4 May 2026
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Hard to Be a God is about a planet that has not been allowed to advance beyond the Middle Ages, and descended into a filthy, despotic, and violent world.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Yet, the courage and determination of lawyers who insist upon proper enforcement of the law, even in corrupt and dictatorial regimes, stand as their own form of powerful dissent.—
Irwin Cotler,
Time,
8 May 2026
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The group parted ways after a 1967 European tour, in part due to Phil Spector’s increasingly dictatorial oversight of their releases.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tyrannical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyrannical. Accessed 28 May. 2026.
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