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ruler

ruler

153 2.1
A person who has power over a country or its people
  • noun
  • /ˈruːlər/
: 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.