as in dictators
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
the people universally feared the tyrant, who was notorious for his frequent use of torture
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Recent Examples of tyrants
And while the band's frontman Freddie Mercury only made it into his 40s, the song's question continues to haunt people—especially aging tyrants who fear that the icy hand of death is upon their shoulder and want far more time to ensure both national and personal glory.
—
Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 3 Sep. 2025
But by positioning this as a story of a younger generation refusing to cede their liberties to tyrants, Loktev has made a film about resistance, putting a human face on the daily struggles concerned citizens must endure to take back their country.
—Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2025
The Middle East is a region of tyrants, from Iran to Saudi Arabia.
—John Feffer, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
The greatest of all tyrants thunders onto screen in this thrilling story of fossil discovery by three young boys.
—Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 8 Dec. 2024
Some tyrants just can’t resist meddling with the calendar.
—Jack Butler, National Review, 28 Nov. 2024
Elphaba has helped the two tyrants permanently transform the monkeys against their will, and worse, strengthened the ensuing crackdown against the animals; hence, Elphaba is horrified by her own actions and vows to stand against Oz from that point on.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024
Movements, parties, and tyrants thrive on xenophobia—the word might be specifically Hellenic, but the sentiment is universal.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 22 Nov. 2024
The man adores and tries to emulate dictators and tyrants.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 8 Oct. 2024
Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 3 Sep. 2025
But by positioning this as a story of a younger generation refusing to cede their liberties to tyrants, Loktev has made a film about resistance, putting a human face on the daily struggles concerned citizens must endure to take back their country.
—Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2025
The Middle East is a region of tyrants, from Iran to Saudi Arabia.
—John Feffer, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
The greatest of all tyrants thunders onto screen in this thrilling story of fossil discovery by three young boys.
—Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 8 Dec. 2024
Some tyrants just can’t resist meddling with the calendar.
—Jack Butler, National Review, 28 Nov. 2024
Elphaba has helped the two tyrants permanently transform the monkeys against their will, and worse, strengthened the ensuing crackdown against the animals; hence, Elphaba is horrified by her own actions and vows to stand against Oz from that point on.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024
Movements, parties, and tyrants thrive on xenophobia—the word might be specifically Hellenic, but the sentiment is universal.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 22 Nov. 2024
The man adores and tries to emulate dictators and tyrants.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 8 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyrants
dictators
Noun
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The persecution worsened more than a decade ago during uprisings that remade the Middle East by toppling dictators — including Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak — but in some places spiraled into civil war.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
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Movie lovers tend to think of producers as dictators of formulas, oppressors of originality, the enemies of art, but that just reflects the unfortunate history of studio filmmaking in Hollywood and elsewhere.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tyrants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyrants. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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