adjective
-
of or relating to an absolute and unrestricted ruler
-
domineering or dictatorial
Other Word Forms
- autocratically adverb
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
A 2006 Times investigation detailed how dozens of former associates and workers left the UFW because of what they described as Chavez’s increasingly autocratic ways.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026
Chun Han was part of a team of Journal reporters named as Pulitzer Prize finalists in 2021 for their coverage of China’s autocratic turn under Xi Jinping.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 15, 2026
He worshiped Johnny and did not like Dove, but he and Dove were bound together by their common servitude to Johnny’s autocratic rule.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
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.
