as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
the Magna Carta is historically important because it signified the British rejection of autocracy and constituted the first formal restraining of the power of the monarch
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of autocracy
Envelope Pushing Brazil As the U.S. sinks into autocracy, Brazil’s cinema is battling to help the country emerge.
—
John Hopewell, Variety, 4 May 2025
Trump has yet to give remarks advocating against autocracy and authoritarianism in his second term.
—Michael Wilner, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
These distinctions also reveal shifts in the same autocracy over time.
—Elizabeth N. Saunders, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2025
The world is lurching toward autocracy, with alarming speed.
—Elisa Manfredini, Time, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocracy
John Hopewell, Variety, 4 May 2025
Trump has yet to give remarks advocating against autocracy and authoritarianism in his second term.
—Michael Wilner, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
These distinctions also reveal shifts in the same autocracy over time.
—Elizabeth N. Saunders, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2025
The world is lurching toward autocracy, with alarming speed.
—Elisa Manfredini, Time, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autocracy
Noun
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Religious freedom and freedom of speech make up the engine of self-government and form a bulwark against tyranny.—
Kristen Waggoner,
National Review,
5 July 2025
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Determined to liberate Panem, Katniss and her fellow rebels embark on a dangerous journey into the heart of the Capitol to save the nation from President Snow’s tyranny once and for all.—
Kelly Martinez Published,
EW.com,
5 July 2025
Noun
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During the dictatorship, blackouts were used to control people.—
Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
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But if Trump’s Iran gamble turns out well and Iran’s theocratic dictatorship either crumbles or gives up its uranium enrichment program through diplomatic negotiations — a big if — Trump will be credited with having done something four previous presidents contemplated but ultimately failed to do.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
22 June 2025
Noun
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Like many other industrialized nations, Japan in the 1930s turned to fascism and the construction of autarkic economic empires as a solution to the instabilities engendered by capitalist modernity.—
Waiyee Loh,
JSTOR Daily,
2 July 2025
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Amid the coming-out balls, proposals and a whopper of a divorce scandal, a more insidious theme emerged: the rise of fascism in Europe, and two of the sisters’ infatuation with it.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
24 June 2025
Noun
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Can that Huntington Beach teach the rest of us a thing — or thirty — not just about how to stand up to despotism, but how to beat it back?—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2025
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Now American culture bows down to Anna Wintour’s despotism.—
Armond White,
National Review,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Autocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autocracy. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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