tyrant

[ tahy-ruhnt ]

/ ˈtaɪ rənt /

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See synonyms for: tyrant / tyrants on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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

a tyrannical or compulsory influence.

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

OTHER WORDS FOR tyrant

1 despot, autocrat, dictator.

See synonyms for tyrant on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of tyrant

1250–1300; Middle English tirant<Old French <Latin tyrannus<Greek týrannos

OTHER WORDS FROM tyrant

un·der·ty·rant, noun

Words nearby tyrant

tyrannosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex, tyrannous, tyrannulet, tyranny, tyrant, tyrant flycatcher, tyre, Tyree, Tyrian, Tyrian purple

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tyrant in a sentence

You can do the right thing for once in your lives and discharge this petty tyrant.
Montana Health Official Pushed Vax Over Dodgy Drugs. So He Was Forced Out.|Zoe Richards|September 22, 2021|The Daily Beast
The refugee parent fleeing from the tyrant regime loses family all at once, in the space of a five-hour flight to Qatar.
The One Story That Captures the Immigrant Experience Like No Other|Suketu Mehta|September 17, 2021|Time
State actors who reflect the real world are “criminals” who are “lying” and equivalent to tyrants and dictators.
The alarming downward spiral of the election-fraud conspiracy theory|Philip Bump|June 24, 2021|Washington Post
He later said he was terrible at the job, perpetually frightened by his boss, who “behaved like a tyrant on the set.”
Bertrand Tavernier, versatile and acclaimed French filmmaker, dies at 79|Harrison Smith|March 26, 2021|Washington Post

SovCits believe the feds are illegitimate tyrants who trick us into giving away our freedom by signing official documents.
The New Meaning of Citizenship|Daniel Malloy|December 13, 2020|Ozy
Twelve-year-old dance prodigy Maddie Ziegler has suffered the wrath of Dance Moms tyrant Abby Lee Miller.
See Burly Shia LaBeouf Interpretive Cage Fight Lil Sia in the Singer’s Fantastic New Music Video|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
On Christmas weekend, a North Korean tyrant has decided what American teenagers will see on the silver screen.
The Sony Hack and America’s Craven Capitulation To Terror|David Keyes|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After clashing with coach Victor Tikhonov, a KGB-installed tyrant, he chose to challenge the government and defect to the NHL.
Putin’s Hockey Pal Tells All: Slava Fetisov on ‘Red Army,’ Soviet Nostalgia, and What Drives Putin|Marlow Stern|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rivers continued on her political, authoritarian monologue by describing what kind of tyrant she would be.
What Joan Rivers Said She Would Do If She Were Dictator of America|Asawin Suebsaeng|September 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And that isn't even the biggest political problem with Tyrant.
Generic and Superficial ‘Tyrant’ Amerisplains the Middle East|Andrew Romano|June 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the meantime, the outlaw, having observed how much more cordially the tyrant is received than himself, has made his exit.
Physiology of The Opera|John H. Swaby (AKA "Scrici")
To remove a tyrant is an act of liberation, the giving of life and opportunity to an oppressed people.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman
The removal of a tyrant is not merely justifiable; it is the highest duty of every true revolutionist.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman
But the killing of a tyrant, of an enemy of the People, is in no way to be considered as the taking of a life.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman
The superstitious tyrant Maximin endeavoured to revive the dying paganism, and to renew the persecution.
The Catacombs of Rome|William Henry Withrow

British Dictionary definitions for tyrant

tyrant

/ (ˈtaɪrənt) /

noun

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

any person who exercises authority in a tyrannical manner

anything that exercises tyrannical influence

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

Word Origin for tyrant

C13: from Old French tyrant, from Latin tyrannus, from Greek turannos

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

tyrant

OTHER WORDS FOR tyrant

Origin of tyrant

OTHER WORDS FROM tyrant

Words nearby tyrant

Words related to tyrant

How to use tyrant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tyrant

Word Origin for tyrant