despotnoun [ C ]
uk/ˈdes.pɒt//ˈdes.pət/a person, especially a ruler, who has unlimited power over other people, and often uses it unfairly and cruelly:
an evil despot
The king was regarded as having been an enlightened despot.
See also
tyrant
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Powerful people & dictators
- a heavy hitter idiom
- authoritarian
- autocrat
- autocratic
- big beast
- dictator
- dictatorial
- establishment
- figurehead
- grey eminence
- heavy
- oppressor
- potentate
- power broker
- puissance
- puissant
- strongman
- voiceless
- warlord
- éminence grise
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despotic
adjective uk/dɪˈspɒt.ɪk/us/desˈpɑː.t̬ɪk/
a despotic government/regime
despotically
adverb uk/dɪˈspɒt.ɪ.kəl.i/us/desˈpɑː.t̬ɪ.kəl.i/
despotism
noun [ U ] uk/ˈdes.pə.tɪ.zəm/us/ˈdes.pə.tɪ.zəm/
After years of despotism, the country is now moving towards democracy.