DESPOTIC Synonyms: 102 Similar and Opposite Words

despotic

adjective

de-ˈspä-tik

Definition of despotic

as in oppressive

exercising power or authority without interference by others a nation ruled by a series of despotic rulers, each seemingly worse than the last

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in authoritarian

fond of ordering people around the despotic coach demands that his players obey him without question

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of despotic The pretence of an absolute, irresistible, despotic power, existing in every government somewhere, is incompatible with the first principle of natural right. — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026 That seems to me to be an absolutely clear point, that only despotic regimes do that stuff. — Katie Drummond, Wired News, 19 May 2026 The Academy rules work for countries with democratic governments but not for countries with despotic regimes. — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 4 May 2026 Possibly to a way of life that not only survives many kinds of precarity—cruel weather, scanty income, a despotic army—but that even molds itself to them. — Samanth Subramanian, New Yorker, 2 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for despotic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for despotic

Adjective

Among those waiting to meet the president was Leon Czolgosz, a 28-year-old anarchist who considered the government oppressive.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
People seem to be craving the scent of something cooling and quenching, an olfactive promise that less oppressive weather lies ahead.

— April Long, Allure, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of oppressive

Adjective

A good number of them also have authoritarian governments, raising questions about the lack of accountability and due process to ensure the protection of the deportees’ rights.

— Mark Banchereau, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
The Gwangju Biennale was founded in 1994 to commemorate the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, during which hundreds of civilians were killed during a protest against the authoritarian military government’s brutal crackdown on civil rights.

— Vivienne Chow, ARTnews.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of authoritarian

Adjective

While some of the color contrasts do articulate planar shifts, such as the candy-stripe lips (red for upper, pink for lower), many of the touches are arbitrary splotches that neither bolster a shape nor set another off.

— Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
The choices of what to put in each episode — and when to cut from one timeline to another — have sometimes felt arbitrary, and have often disrupted the story’s overall flow.

— Noel Murray, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of arbitrary

Adjective

Will stars in the film as Phil Weston, an unremarkable family man who grew up under the thumb of his domineering dad, Buck (Robert Duvall).

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026
That’s a little too farcical for the moment, and the final cut lands more in a place of domineering intrigue.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 July 2026

Definition of domineering

Adjective

At a Sunday rally in Georgia, Ossoff needled Trump for accepting a new Air Force One plane from the autocratic monarchy of Qatar and for reportedly hiding in a catering truck to switch to a different plane in Turkey last month.

— Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 20 Aug. 2026
Increasing the stakes is Florida’s connection to Latin America, given that many expats settled in the state after fleeing autocratic leftist regimes in Cuba and Venezuela.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of autocratic

Adjective

Each of these decisions laid the groundwork for the war on Iran today, one that started without a clear strategy on the arrogant expectation of a quick victory.

— Alexander Langlois, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026
The data center industry is only one face of an arrogant oligarchy that people believe now runs Congress, the courts, the White House, state legislatures and local governments.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of arrogant

Adjective

The 2015 action film, set in a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland, stars Theron as warrior Imperator Furiosa, who leads the daring escape of female prisoners from a tyrannical ruler.

— Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 23 Aug. 2026
That goes double for The Devil Wears Prada’s tyrannical Miranda Priestly, in which Streep turns an icy glare into a weapon tantamount to Leatherface’s chainsaw.

— Chris Bellamy, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of tyrannical

Adjective

Standing before her guards, the increasingly dictatorial ruler proclaims herself as the Chosen One to the people of King's Landing.

— Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
In 2024, Margo is hired to find the book that disappeared, along with many others, through the dictatorial years.

— The Know, Denver Post, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of dictatorial

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despot

despotic

despotism

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“Despotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despotic. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of despotic

adjective

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