tyrannical
Americanadjective
-
of or characteristic of a tyrant.
-
unjustly cruel, harsh, or severe; arbitrary or oppressive; despotic.
a tyrannical ruler.
- Synonyms:
- domineering, imperious, dictatorial
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tyrannical
1530–40; < Latin tyrannic ( us ) (< Greek tyrannikós, equivalent to týrann ( os ) tyrant + -ikos -ic ) + -al 1
Explanation
A tyrannical ruler wields absolute power and authority, and often wields that power unjustly, cruelly, or oppressively. First used in the 1530s, the adjective tyrannical stems from the late-14th-century word tyranny, meaning "cruel or unjust use of power," which has origins in the Greek work tyrannos, meaning "master." Tyrannical rule is the opposite of democratic rule, which places the power in the people, the majority of whom makes the decisions. Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Joseph Stalin are three examples of the 20th century's most tyrannical dictators.
Vocabulary lists containing tyrannical
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 1–6
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"Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" by Patrick Henry (1775)
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Matilda
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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.
Tyrannical heat, delirious summers, dog days that breed flies and sloth, squabbles and morbid introspection are gone with the vent.
From Time Magazine Archive
Tyrannical as the officers may be, they can't take that privilege of an American freeman away from you.
From Si Klegg, Book 6 (of 6) Si And Shorty, With Their Boy Recruits, Enter On The Atlanta Campaign by McElroy, John
"It's--it's----" "Tyrannical" would not do, nor would "autocratic."
From The Four Corners of the World by Mason, A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley)
Tyrannical as was Henry�VIII., still he ever ruled by the laws.
From A Modern History, From the Time of Luther to the Fall of Napoleon For the Use of Schools and Colleges by Lord, John
Which is not unlike the Old Tyrannical Axiom; Let my Friends perish, so my Enemies fall along with them.
From Franco-Gallia Or, An Account of the Ancient Free State of France, and Most Other Parts of Europe, Before the Loss of Their Liberties by Hotman, François
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.
