autocrat

American  

[aw-tuh-krat] / ˈɔ təˌkræt /

noun

1. an absolute ruler, especially a monarch who holds and exercises the powers of government as by inherent right, not subject to restrictions.

2. a person invested with or claiming to exercise absolute authority.

3. a person who behaves in an authoritarian manner; a domineering person.

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autocrat British  

/ ˈɔːtəˌkræt /

noun

1. a ruler who possesses absolute and unrestricted authority

2. a domineering or dictatorial person

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Etymology

Origin of autocrat

First recorded in 1795–1805; from Greek autokratḗs “self-ruling, ruling alone,” from auto- auto- ¹ + krát(os) “power” + -ēs, adjective suffix

Example Sentences

The Manhattan hearing comes as Washington cautiously warms ties with Caracas, with the question of who will pay the legal fees of the former autocrat and his wife expected to take center stage.

From Barron's

Historian and authoritarian expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat described ritual humiliation as one of the autocrat’s favorite weapons.

From Salon

To his critics, he was a ruthless autocrat who steered the nation on a path of societal and economic isolation.

From The Wall Street Journal

As the spiritual and political leader of the Middle East’s second-largest nation, he projected power through Shiite militias across the region and survived waves of unrest as autocrats around him were toppled.

From The Wall Street Journal

The author is also refreshingly clear-eyed in criticizing the brutality of the Paul Kagame regime in Rwanda, for instance, and commendably avoids the usual endorsement of any autocrats who produce high growth.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• despot
• tyrant