noun
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the rule of a despot; arbitrary, absolute, or tyrannical government
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arbitrary or tyrannical authority or behaviour
Discover More
The term usually suggests unscrupulous rule, or tyranny.
Etymology
Origin of despotism
From the French word despotisme, dating back to 1720–30. See despot, -ism
Explanation
Despotism is a way of ruling in which the leader has total, unchecked power. Joseph Stalin purged the Soviet Union of all his opponents in order to rule the country through despotism. He didn’t have many friends. Despotism can also describe tyranny, the wielding of power through cruelty and terror. It's often used in reference to a country that's ruled by a dictator, but despotism can describe any situation characterized by oppression and threats. When your sister threatens to send all of your friends embarrassing baby photos of you if you don’t let her control the TV remote, that’s despotism.
Vocabulary lists containing despotism
Some Political and Philosophical -isms
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Power Suffix: -ism
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George H.W. Bush (1924 -2018) Tribute List
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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.
“They created a new despotism and wrapped it in the robes of legal sanction,” FDR said when accepting the presidential nomination for the second time.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 9, 2025
Mr Jones claimed Mr Williams had run "a regime of despotism" throughout his daughter's tenure at the channel and sacked her "without consultation".
From BBC • Dec. 19, 2023
I had spent time in Iraq and knew so many Iraqis like Salam who had suffered under his despotism — and who wanted him gone.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 24, 2023
Their devotion to Slowick meanwhile, hovers between that of a proletarian army in revolt against its oppressors and the legions of the undead commanded by figures of aristocratic despotism such as Dracula.
From Salon • Dec. 17, 2022
Her gentle efforts to guide the hand of destiny, by decoying her master with fertile tricks or by reticent considerations these had not bean strong enough to be recognized in the despotism of fife.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
