despot

American  

[des-puht, -pot] / ˈdɛs pət, -pɒt /

noun

1. a king or other ruler with absolute, unlimited power; autocrat.

2. any tyrant or oppressor.

3. History/Historical. an honorary title applied to a Byzantine emperor, afterward to members of his family, and later to Byzantine vassal rulers and governors.

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despot British  

/ dɛsˈpɒtɪk, ˈdɛspɒt /

noun

1. an absolute or tyrannical ruler; autocrat or tyrant

2. any person in power who acts tyrannically

3. a title borne by numerous persons of rank in the later Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires

   the despot of Servia

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Other Word Forms

• despotic adjective
• despotically adverb

Etymology

Origin of despot

1555–65; < Greek despótēs master < *dems-pot- presumably, “master of the house,” equivalent to *dems-, akin to dómos house + pot-, base of pósis husband, spouse; hospodar, host ¹

Example Sentences

Now, the despot regime has been decapitated, but ConocoPhillips isn’t jumping up and down.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has replaced three top officials in charge of his personal security, Seoul said Tuesday, a sign the despot may increasingly fear assassination plots.

From Barron's • Jan. 13, 2026

Simmons, who plays the film’s jazz conservatory despot, Fletcher.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2025

He’s not a father, a king, a despot or a dictator.

From Salon • Jan. 30, 2025

Some people wonder: Could another despot like Hitler rise to power on the shoulders of young people?

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Related Words

• autocrat
• oppressor
• tyrant