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tyranny

tyranny

109 6.7
One person or a small group rules a country cruelly
  • noun
  • /ˈtɪrəni/
translation icon : tiranía
  • Many great leaders have emerged throughout history to challenge the tyranny of their governments.
  • resist tyranny
  • freedom from tyranny
  • tyranny of the majority

That is fascism, that is tyranny, that is autocracy.

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Examples

  • But even in the face of tyranny, there is comedy.

  • Education partly exists in order to help us resist the tyranny of the majority.

    Academic text (1991)
  • If free speech is lost, even in America, tyranny is all that lies ahead.

  • To what extent can the courts protect academic freedom against the tyranny of a majority?

    Academic text (1991)
  • The Allied victory in the Second World War removed the threats of Nazi tyranny and Japanese military conquest.

    Academic text (1990)
  • In June 1982, the president condemned Soviet imperialism and tyranny in an address before the United Nations.

    Academic text (1990)
  • The government is to constrain the tyranny of religious groups who attempt to consolidate power against others.

    Academic text (1990)
  • I vowed that day that never again would I be helpless in the face of tyranny.

  • We fought against tyranny to protect our freedoms and rights.

  • The citizens gathered to oppose the tyranny that had taken over their country.

Synonyms

regime
vstyranny
  • Literature
535 6.1

A government that rules a country, often not democratic and strict

is more specific by naming cruel and oppressive rule by one or few people
dictatorship
vstyranny
157 4.8

A government where one person or a small group has all power and does not allow political opposition

highlights the cruelty and harsh use of that concentrated power
oppression
vstyranny
120 5.5

A cruel use of power to control and hurt people

applies that cruelty specifically to a government ruled harshly by few people
police state
vstyranny
30 7.5

A country where the government uses strict police control and spying to limit people's freedoms

is broader in that it stresses cruel concentrated rule beyond just policing methods
totalitarianism
vstyranny
  • Formal
19 9.3

A government that controls nearly all parts of people's lives and takes away personal freedom

covers similar absolute power but focuses more on harsh and oppressive rule
oligarchy
vstyranny
17 8.9

A small group of people who have most power in a country or organization

adds that this small group's power is used in a cruel and oppressive way
authoritarianism
vstyranny
11 8.7

A system where one person or small group has almost all political power

emphasizes the harsh and cruel application of that concentrated authority
despotism
vstyranny
  • Formal
7 9.6

A government where one person or group has all power and rules cruelly

is the same cruelty but emphasizes harsh rule by a small group or one person
totalitarian regime
vstyranny
  • Formal
6 8.3

A government that controls almost all parts of people's lives by force

adds the element that control is exercised in a harsh and oppressive way
5 7.4

A government where one leader or a small group holds power and limits people's freedoms

adds that such concentrated power is exercised cruelly and oppressively
autocracy
vstyranny
5 8.2

A government in which one person has all power

stresses that this authority is applied in a cruel and oppressive manner
totalitarian state
vstyranny
  • Formal
5 8.2

A government that controls almost every part of people's lives and punishes people who disagree

is similar but highlights power used cruelly by a person or small group
absolutism
vstyranny
  • Formal
3 8.1

A system where one ruler has complete power

is similar but stresses cruelty and oppressive practice rather than ideology
one-man rule
vstyranny
1 8.2

A government where one person has all power and others cannot oppose them

adds the idea that such concentrated power is used cruelly and oppressively
autarchy
vstyranny
  • Formal
9.9

A government where one person has all the power and decides everything

focuses more on that power being used harshly and oppressively

Antonyms

1.0

The right to act, speak, or think as you want without being stopped

782 1.6

A system of government where people choose leaders by free elections

429 3.3

Being free from unfair rules or control by government

How Tyrannical

totalitarianism
  • Formal
19 9.3
despotism
  • Formal
7 9.6
tyranny
109 6.7
dictatorship
157 4.8
oppression
120 5.5

Surface Forms

tyranny singular
tyrannies plural

Morphology

tyranny = tyrant (transparent) = tyrant + y

The noun denotes the rule or state of a tyrant and is directly derived from 'tyrant' plus the noun-forming suffix '-y'.

Etymology

Tyranny comes from the ancient Greek word tyrannos, which meant an 'absolute ruler' and gave us the word tyrant. That's why tyranny now means rule by one person or a small group that is cruel and harsh.