adj ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Adjective

1. 1
   Of, or relating to tyranny or a tyrant. not-comparable
2. 2
   Despotic, oppressive, or authoritarian. comparable

   "a tyrannical regime"

Adjective

1. 1
   characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule; having absolute sovereignty wordnet
2. 2
   marked by unjust severity or arbitrary behavior wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

oppressiveabsoluteabsolutistabsolutisticarbitraryaristocratic

Example

More examples

"He liked to blame most of his faults and misfortunes on a tyrannical father."

Etymology

From Latin tyrannicus + -al; ultimately from Ancient Greek τύραννος (túrannos) (absolute ruler, despot).

Related phrases

tyrannical sadism

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