despot
19
7.7
- noun
- /ˈdɛspət/
:
déspota
- In the history books, he is remembered as a cruel despot whose reign caused suffering.
- absolute despot
You know, this is what dictators and despots and stuff always do, Communists, whatever.
- You know, this is what dictators and despots and stuff always do, Communists, whatever.
- But even more, we want to pay attention, he says, to kings and despots.
- Because Hobbes says, listen, otherwise you're just going to have some arbitrary despot.
- It still happens, but, you know, we're talking about people like Gaddafi or, you know, despots.
- An immigrant to this country and one more from a despot occupying the White House and destroying the First Amendment.
- You're going to get some despot backed into a corner who says, well, this is my only move.
- And in the blink of an eye the one eyed person becomes king or queen or despot or a tyrant.
- And we're speaking, of course, today on the day that Alexei Navalny has essentially been murdered by a, by a despot.
- They voted with North Korea and Iran and other despot countries.
- The despot here is on thy shore.
- And then we have masterly rule, the sort of thing that involves actual slavery, the despoticon, and this is a word that we get despot from.
Examples
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But the power of the despots will be curtailed, and the next generation will be ours.
Fiction book (1992) -
Siad Barre finally fled Mogadishu in January 1991, and the despot's absence split USC forces.
Academic text (1993) -
Sometimes being a despot is a tough business.
-
The despot here is on thy shore.
-
Put the Marquis to death and history might even regard you as a despot.
-
The only folks who should be worried are despots in the making and criminals.
Blog text (9) -
Mugabe is a despot who, for a decade, has thumbed his nose at opposition attempts to unseat him.
Academic text (2009) -
The dictator ruled as a despot, oppressing his people and silencing dissent.
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Many citizens feared the despot, knowing he would crush any opposition harshly.
Synonyms
218
4.2
A ruler with complete power who often takes control by force and ignores the law
83
5.8
A person in power who treats others cruelly and unfairly
74
7.7
A military leader who controls a region by force and answers to no one when the government is weak
33
7.5
A person who has power and treats people cruelly or unfairly
21
8.4
A person who has great power and controls a country or people
8
8.3
A ruler who has all power and treats people cruelly
8
7.4
A male political leader who keeps power by using force and fear
7
9.4
A ruler with very great power who is not limited by law
3
9.9
A ruler who has complete power over a country and its people
1
9.9
A ruler who has almost total power and controls others
How Tyrannical
Surface Forms
Etymology
Despot comes from the Greek word despotes, which meant 'master of the house' — the person with total control there. So a despot today is a ruler with absolute power, often cruel or unfair.