robber baron

American  

noun

1. History/Historical. a noble who robbed travelers passing through his lands.

2. a ruthlessly powerful U.S. capitalist or industrialist of the late 19th century considered to have become wealthy by exploiting natural resources, corrupting legislators, or other unethical means.

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Etymology

Origin of robber baron

First recorded in 1875–80

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

robber baron

As early as 1859 the New York Times associated Cornelius Vanderbilt with the idea of the medieval robber baron, thus tarnishing the image of the country’s biggest shipowner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026

Government and private money are flowing in quantities that would make a Gilded Age robber baron blush.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 23, 2025

Indeed, skeptics sometimes associate geoengineering with supervillain behavior, like a famous episode of The Simpsons in which the robber baron Mr. Burns blocks the sun.

From Salon ● Dec. 12, 2024

A notorious strikebreaker noted for paying his workers abysmally low wages, the complicated robber baron also publicly supported progressive tax laws, including estate taxes.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 6, 2023

I am a robber baron brought down to date—modernized.

From The Ranchman by Charles Alden Seltzer

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