Skip to main content
tyrannical

tyrannical

24 7.9
Using power to treat people cruelly and unfairly
  • adjective
  • /tɪˈrænɪkəl/
: tiránico
  • You must change the political system first because it is a tyrannical regime without respect for laws. -- Milovan Djilas
  • tyrannical ruler
  • tyrannical regime
  • tyrannical government

But Gavin Newsom's revisionist history on his tyrannical COVID lockdowns are insane.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Do you comply with a tyrannical regime or do you choose freedom and liberty?

  • The federal government is very tyrannical in its abuse of our equal, sovereign individual rights.

    Blog text (6)
  • Natural law, on this reading, rules out tyrannical government.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The right of exit always gives you a check on the tyrannical nature of government.

  • I did not think we lived under a tyrannical government but rather a representative government.

    Blog text (7)
  • You can think about quitting a job with a tyrannical boss, but not actually quit the job.

  • But it is tyrannical in my estimation.

  • The citizens there at first thought Hitler was freeing them from the tyrannical rule of the Communists.

    Blog text (7)
  • Academic decisions have always been subject to faculty politics, tyrannical senior professors, and departmental cliques.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The citizens rose up against their tyrannical leader, demanding freedom and justice.

Synonyms

authoritarian
vstyrannical
56 7.5

Expecting people to follow orders and allowing little freedom

is harsher, highlighting cruel, unjust exercise of power rather than order
oppressive
vstyrannical
45 6.3

Using harsh, unfair power to control people and limit their freedom

is used for personal cruel rule rather than general harsh systems
draconian
vstyrannical
  • Formal
27 8.9

Very harsh actions or rules that cause great difficulty

refers more to cruel personal rule than only severe rules
dictatorial
vstyrannical
15 7.7

Having complete control and expecting people to obey without question

is more about cruel, unjust oppression than simply enforcing obedience
autocratic
vstyrannical
13 8.0

A leader who has complete power and does not allow others to disagree

focuses on cruelty and injustice rather than mere central control
despotic
vstyrannical
7 8.4

A ruler who uses cruel and total power over people

emphasizes cruel personal rule rather than distant legal harshness
tyrannous
vstyrannical
  • Formal
1 9.9

Using unfair, cruel power to control people

is broader, focusing on unjust oppression not only arbitrary severity
tyrannic
vstyrannical
  • Formal
1 9.1

Having very strong, unfair power that controls or hurts people

is the same but highlights unjust personal cruelty rather than formal absoluteness
despotical
vstyrannical
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A leader who has harsh, total power and treats people unfairly

focuses more on cruel oppression than mere centralized authority

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

Treating people equally and honestly

199 1.1

Fair and morally right

How Tyrannical

totalitarian
  • Formal
45 8.9
despotic
7 8.4
tyrannical
24 7.9
oppressive
45 6.3

Surface Forms

tyrannical positive
tyrannicaler comparative
tyrannicalest superlative

Morphology

tyrannical = tyranny (semi-transparent) = tyrann + ical

The transformation from 'tyranny' to 'tyrannical' is clear, but the meaning requires understanding of 'tyranny'.

Etymology

The word tyrannical comes from an old Greek word tyrannos, which meant 'a ruler who took power'. It is the same root as the English word tyrant, so tyrannical describes someone who uses power in a cruel or unfair way.