tyrannous

American  

[tir-uh-nuhs] / ˈtɪr ə nəs /

adjective

1. tyrannical.

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Other Word Forms

• nontyrannous adjective
• nontyrannously adverb
• nontyrannousness noun
• tyrannously adverb
• tyrannousness noun

Etymology

Origin of tyrannous

1485–95; < Latin tyrann ( us ) tyrant + -ous

Explanation

Someone who exerts their authority in a cruel or oppressive way is tyrannous. An unjust, autocratic leader of a country is a tyrannous ruler. You might accuse your parents of being tyrannous if they don't let you go out on a school night, but unless they truly abuse their control over you, they're not literally tyrannous. A tyrant is an absolute ruler, often an illegitimate (rather than democratically elected) one, and is usually cruel. Both tyrant and tyrannous come from the Greek root tyrannos, "absolute ruler unlimited by law."

Example Sentences

Caught between the maniacal determination of Purlie and the tyrannous wrath of Cotchipee, Lutiebelle discovers wiles she never knew she possessed.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 6, 2023

“All of our lives we had to have this tyrannous, treacherous statue looking over us,” Moore said.

From Washington Times • Jun. 20, 2020

Among colonists who resisted British power, this view of the “massacre” confirmed their fears of a tyrannous government using its armies to curb the freedom of British subjects.

From Textbooks • Dec. 30, 2014

Madison, who like other founders feared tyrannous legislatures as much as tyrannous executives, made this explicit in his famous statement in The Federalist Papers.

From Slate • May 23, 2013

All the tyrannous giants were dead, all the dangerous dragons—some of which used to come down with a burrr like the peregrine’s stoop—had been put out of action.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White