Tyrannize
//ˈtɪɹ.ən.aɪz// verb
verb ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To oppress (someone). transitive
"In truth he was the type of man who is spoilt by the submission of weaker people than himself. There are such men, who must either be tyrannized or be tyrants […]"
- 2 rule or exercise power over (somebody) in a cruel and autocratic manner wordnet
- 3 To rule as a tyrant. intransitive
"The prince tyrannized over his subjects."
- 4 rule a country as a tyrant wordnet
Example
More examples"In truth he was the type of man who is spoilt by the submission of weaker people than himself. There are such men, who must either be tyrannized or be tyrants […]"
Etymology
From Middle French tyranniser, equivalent to tyranny + -ize.
More for "tyrannize"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.