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ruler

ruler

153 2.1
A person who has power over a country or its people
  • noun
  • /ˈruːlər/
translation icon : gobernante
  • The King known as Louis XIV brought his people food, prosperity and peace, and is remembered as the greatest ruler in the history of his nation.
  • authoritarian rulers
  • autocratic rulers
  • secular rulers

Not an imposing group of rulers, but pious.

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Examples

Synonyms

governor
vsruler
3.0

An elected official who leads a state government

is the broader word that covers all types of national or regional leaders
king
vsruler
1.0

A man who rules a country and usually gets the job from his family

is the general non gender specific term rather than a male title
emperor
vsruler
524 3.5

A man who rules an empire made of many countries

is the general term for any person who governs regions or people
lord
vsruler
422 4.8

A man who has power over people, like a ruler or noble

is the broad term that is not gender specific or socially noble
dictator
vsruler
218 4.2

A ruler with complete power who often takes control by force and ignores the law

is the general word not necessarily implying seizure by force
warlord
vsruler
74 7.7

A military leader who controls a region by force and answers to no one when the government is weak

is the general word not implying military control or lack of accountability
head of state
vsruler
  • Formal
49 3.5

A country's main public leader, like a president or king

is the general word not limited to public representative roles
pharaoh
vsruler
48 7.7

A ruler of ancient Egypt who is both king and priest

is the broad word not limited to ancient or religious roles
monarch
vsruler
41 5.1

A king or queen who rules a country and usually gets the job by birth

is the general term for any person who governs
sovereign
vsruler
40 7.2

A king or queen who rules a country and gets the position from their family

is the broader common word for anyone who governs
sultan
vsruler
29 6.2

A Muslim ruler of a country, often from the Ottoman Empire

is the generic term for anyone who governs a state or group
overlord
vsruler
21 8.4

A person who has great power and controls a country or people

is the ordinary term that does not focus on dominance or feudal control
viceroy
vsruler
  • Formal
16 9.5

A person who rules a land for a king or queen

is the general term not limited to acting as a representative
regent
vsruler
15 8.4

A person who rules a country for the monarch who is too young, absent, or ill

is the standard term not implying temporary substitution
autocrat
vsruler
8 8.3

A ruler who has all power and treats people cruelly

is the neutral term that does not suggest cruelty or oppression
potentate
vsruler
  • Formal
7 9.4

A ruler with very great power who is not limited by law

is the neutral term that does not imply unchecked authority
autarch
vsruler
  • Formal
3 9.9

A ruler who has complete power over a country and its people

is the ordinary word and does not imply total or absolute control
crowned head
vsruler
  • Literature
1 7.8

A king or queen who rules because they get the position from their family

is the neutral general term not focused on ceremony or crown
imperator
vsruler
1 9.9

A ruler who has almost total power and controls others

is the standard neutral term for someone who governs people or areas
swayer
vsruler
  • Literature
1 9.9

A person who rules or controls others

is the neutral everyday term rather than poetic
sovran
vsruler
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A king or queen with complete power over a country

is the common modern term not archaic
female monarch
vsruler
1 5.4

A woman who rules a country, for example a queen

is the general term that applies regardless of gender
potestate
vsruler
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who has power to rule a city or region

is the ordinary word rather than formal or historical
ethnarch
vsruler
  • Archaic
9.9

A leader who governs a region or a community and may have religious power

is the general modern word for anyone who governs not historical

Antonyms

295 1.6

A person who supports a leader and accepts their direction

subject
  • UK
76 7.4

A person who owes loyalty to a king or queen

Compounds

puppet ruler
  • Offensive
7.7

A leader who has the title but another person or country controls them

How Powerful

dictator
218 4.2
monarch
41 5.1
ruler
153 2.1
governor
3.0
leader
1.0

Surface Forms

ruler singular
rulers plural

Morphology

ruler = rule (transparent) = rule + er

Regular agentive formation: verb 'rule' + productive suffix '-er' yields 'one who rules', a direct and predictable derivation.

Etymology

Ruler for a person in charge also comes from the Latin root regula, which means 'rule', and is the same root as the verb rule, so a ruler is someone who makes or enforces the 'rules' and leads a country.