Despotism

//ˈdɛspətɪzəm// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    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. countable, uncountable

    "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."

  2. 2
    a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.) wordnet
  3. 3
    dominance through threat of punishment and violence wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
absolutismabsolutismdictatorshipdictatorshiptyrannytyranny

Example

More examples

"We are now forming a republican government. Real liberty is neither found in despotism or the extremes of democracy, but in moderate governments."

Etymology

From French despotisme; equivalent to despot + -ism.

Related phrases

enlightened despotism

More for "despotism"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.