adjective
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of or relating to an absolute and unrestricted ruler
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domineering or dictatorial
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of autocratic
Explanation
Autocratic describes a way of ruling, but not in a nice way. An autocratic leader is one who rules with an iron fist; in other words — someone with the behavior of a dictator. Autocratic rulers don't tend to be popular. They use fear and control to gain total power over their people. Often, their country is left destitute as a result of their actions. The word autocratic is often used to describe the head of a country, but really, anyone who is a despotic leader can qualify — including the boss who threatens to fire you if you refuse to polish his shoes and work every holiday.
Vocabulary lists containing autocratic
To Thine Own Self Be True: Auto
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Do it Yourself: Words Beginning with "AUTO"
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Murder on the Orient Express
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The daughter of autocratic former leader Alberto Fujimori, she enjoys high levels of name recognition among voters.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
In 1979 Americans immediately felt the malign effects of that year’s Islamic revolution, which replaced the autocratic but modernizing Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi with the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
Huerta became one of Chavez’s fiercest defenders even after revelations about his autocratic ways became public — but what else was she supposed to do when people tied so much of her identity to him?
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026
More than 157,000 police officers, backed by 100,000 soldiers and other security forces, will guard Thursday's vote -- the first since a mass uprising toppled the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina in 2024.
From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026
The Housing Authority was headed by a former cotton mill executive named Carvie Oldham, who ran public housing with the same autocratic and ruthless style that had marked his tenure in the mill.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
