tyrannous
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tyrannous
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."
Vocabulary lists containing tyrannous
"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 1
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The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
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Torpedoed
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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.
Thanks to the genius of a constitution that distributes power widely, the risk of tyrannous majority rule is limited.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
In a December 1904 message to Congress, Roosevelt disdained any “unmanly” inclination to a “peace of tyrannous terror, the peace of craven weakness, the peace of injustice.”
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2025
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
It was useless to go on dramatizing her charms and talents for the benefit of these ridiculous knights—useless to go on hunting them with the tyrannous baits of what she thought was love.
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.
