Despotism

Quick meaning: Despotism is a noun meaning Government by a despot or despots: rule by a singular authority, either a single person or a tight-knit group, which rules with absolute power, especially in a cruel and oppressive way.

Meaning

Government by a despot or despots: rule by a singular authority, either a single person or a tight-knit group, which rules with absolute power, especially in a cruel and oppressive way.

Example Sentences

The iron hand of despotism has quenched the last spark of liberty; hunted down like a wild beast, I am watching an opportunity to fly my degraded and enslaved country.

But now events have proved that I was right because Khrushchev's grandchildren do live in freedom and the great question of our time: can they continue to live in freedom, or will they revert to the old, or a new despotism?

Word Forms

• despotisms

Synonyms for despotism

Depending on context, synonyms include absolutism, autocracy, dictatorship, tyranny, authoritarianism, totalitarianism.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include dictatorship, authoritarianism, totalitarianism, tyranny, monocracy, absolutism.

Related Dictionary Tools