tyrant
- noun
- /ˈtaɪrənt/
- In their midst was Hippius, former tyrant of Athens, come to reclaim his city.
- tyrant of Syracuse
- tyrant Zhou
- tyrant Octave
I would Plato have Crittius the tyrant tell this story.
- I would Plato have Crittius the tyrant tell this story.
- And the general said, well, he said exactly what a classical Greek tyrant said to another tyrant.
- And he stays at the court of this guy Hermias, who's a tyrant.
- That's an ancient Greek idea, back when they had tyrants, too, who were women who could take you captive, they could drug you and they could cut your death off and they would sell you.
Examples
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Her father and mother had to flee for their lives from the two greatest tyrants of the era.
Fiction book (1997) -
The city suffered greatly under the rule of a tyrant who ignored the will of the citizens.
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In places like Athens we will have a famous tyrant, but that will come later.
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My land would be rich and strong again, as it was before this tyrant, Pelias, murdered my father.
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Using the army to seize power, Ahk-Ton became a tyrant.
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An opportunity to join the rest of free Greece and stand against a true tyrant...
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Moreover, all who wanted Greece free from this Macedonian tyrant should rally under the banner of the great king and thieves.
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The tyrant Hiero is wary of the poet Simonides: tyrants always fear those of great abilities.
Academic text (2003) -
In ancient Greece, many viewed a tyrant as someone who ruled without legal right, often oppressing the people.
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After years of oppression, the people finally united to overthrow the tyrant and restore their democracy.
Synonyms
A ruler with complete power who often takes control by force and ignores the law
A person who has great power and controls a country or people
A ruler who has all power and treats people cruelly
A person who takes power illegally, often by force
A ruler who has all power and treats people cruelly
A person who expects people to follow orders and allows little freedom
A ruler who has complete power over a country and its people
Antonyms
Compounds
How Tyrannical
Surface Forms
Etymology
Tyrant comes from the ancient Greek word tyrannos, meaning 'ruler who takes power' rather than getting it by law, so in ancient Greece a tyrant was a leader who seized control without a legal right.