tyrant

American  

[tahy-ruhnt] / ˈtaɪ rənt /

noun

• tyrants
  plural

1. 

   a sovereign or other ruler who uses power oppressively or unjustly.

   Synonyms:

   dictator, autocrat, despot

2. any person in a position of authority who exercises power oppressively or despotically.

3. a tyrannical or compulsory influence.

4. an absolute ruler, especially one in ancient Greece or Sicily.

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tyrant British  

/ ˈtaɪrənt /

noun

1. a person who governs oppressively, unjustly, and arbitrarily; despot

2. any person who exercises authority in a tyrannical manner

3. anything that exercises tyrannical influence

4. (esp in ancient Greece) a ruler whose authority lacked the sanction of law or custom; usurper

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• undertyrant
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tyrants
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tyrant

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English tirant, from Old French, earlier tiran (with the addition of t by association with -ant ( def. ) ), from Latin tyrannus, from Greek týrannos, of uncertain origin, perhaps Anatolian

Explanation

If you accuse your parents of being tyrants, you are saying they abuse their control of you — they are cruel, overly restrictive of your freedoms, and unfair. A tyrant is a ruler who is cruel and unjust. Here's an idea for a game: list all the tyrants in history and vote for the worst tyrant of all time. Don't limit yourself to 20th or 21st century ones like Hitler and Stalin and Saddam Hussein. Maybe put Attila the Hun on your list. You could also name a few minor tyrants in your life, such as your boss or another person with unreasonable demands.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tyrant tyrants

There they inspected the Declaration of Independence, which marks its 250th anniversary this year and which set out the path for American independence from the "tyrant" British king.

From Barron's ● Sep. 25, 2026

He informally referred to them as "Tylosaurus thalassotyrannus," meaning "sea tyrant."

From Science Daily ● May 23, 2026

But postwar Germany, unlike France after Napoleon, had no victory to celebrate and no one left who was eager to honor the fallen tyrant.

From Salon ● May 3, 2026

But she also concludes that George III wasn’t a tyrant, just a king “ill advised by ministers obsessed by debt,” and the unavoidable fact that their empire, expanding for centuries, was now shrinking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026

“See? She needs something to brighten up her day, make her forget the plaid tyrant breathing down her neck.”

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

It follows the Pope's warning earlier this month that the world is being "ravaged by a handful of tyrants" as he criticised the cost of war during a visit to Cameroon.

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026

Qom could also serve as the location for the previous supreme leader, but burying tyrants in Iran can be complicated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026

Shortly after Museveni took power in 1986, ending years of bloodshed and chaos under murderous tyrants, the young president mused that leaders overstaying their welcome lay at the heart of Africa's problems.

From Barron's ● Jan. 12, 2026

Humans have laughed at tyrants going back to the days of the ancient Greeks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2025

“Tyrant,” in the classical context, just means absolute ruler—though five will get you ten they were tyrants in the modern sense also.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

Related Words

• autocrat
• bully
• despot
• dictator
• oppressor