usurper

American  

[yoo-sur-per, -zur‐] / yuˈsɜr pər, -ˈzɜr‐ /

noun

1. someone who seizes an office or position of power by force or without legal right, or who is perceived to have done so.

   The usurper Vitigis gathered his army together and laid siege to Rome.

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Etymology

Origin of usurper

First recorded in 1400–50; usurp ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

As the manor devolves into something like “Lord of the Flies,” our hedonistic interloper uses this opening to become a usurper.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 31, 2024

Tied for second place as the people most responsible for the multi-billion-dollar success of Axe Cap — behind only Axe himself — they have been accepted into the brain trust of Axe’s usurper, Mike Prince.

From New York Times • Sep. 1, 2023

Mehmed regarded himself not as a usurper but as the rightful successor to the Byzantines.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

In a handwritten letter that he tweeted on Monday, he called Ms Boluarte a "usurper", and said he had been "kidnapped" and humiliated.

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2022

Half the lords in the realm could not tell taxation from tyranny, and would bolt to the nearest usurper in a heartbeat if it would save them a clipped copper.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Related Words

• authoritarian
• autocrat
• commander
• despot
• totalitarian
• tyrant