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usurper

usurper

11 8.6
A person who takes power illegally, often by force
  • noun
  • /juːˈzɜːr.pər/
translation icon : usurpador
  • History remembers the usurper who overthrew the king and imposed his own rule.

He says, Usurper of Pendor, come defend your horde, right?

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Examples

  • The council sought to remove the usurper who had taken the throne through deceit.

  • I want the system of truth that our forefathers built on, not the lies that the usurpers have propagated.

  • - May I ask, was that the young usurper?

  • Of course, this Senate would just vote to give the usurper more power than he has already stolen.

    Blog text (18)
  • With Rudy, it was a usurper who took over by force.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The King Before liberated our lands... from an evil usurper bent on domination.

  • And Licinius allowed Constantine to deal with the usurper Maxentius in the West.

  • I, Mudhoji Kiledar will destroy the usurper Raoji, I swear it!

  • - We will take the reins away from these usurpers of power never again will common criminals be licensed to act in the name of this country.

  • The usurper quickly gained support among the army, challenging the rightful ruler.

Synonyms

tyrant
vsusurper
16 8.4

A ruler in ancient Greece who took power by force and ruled cruelly

focuses on the act of taking power unlawfully rather than oppressive governance
supplanter
vsusurper
9.9

A person who replaces someone by unfair or illegal means

emphasizes seizing authority by force rather than quietly replacing someone

How Legitimate

ruler
153 2.1
claimant
  • Specialized
15 5.1
usurper
11 8.6
pretender
5 8.8

Surface Forms

usurper singular
usurpers plural

Morphology

usurper = usurp (transparent) = usurp + er

Regular agentive formation: 'usurp' (to seize power) + '-er' yields 'one who seizes power', a direct and predictable derivation.

Etymology

Usurper comes from the old Latin verb usurpare, which meant 'to seize' or 'to take by force'. So a usurper is someone who 'seizes' power — they grab a position that does not rightfully belong to them.