despotic

American  

[dih-spot-ik] / dɪˈspɒt ɪk /

Also despotical

adjective

1. of, relating to, or of the nature of a despot or despotism; autocratic; tyrannical.

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Other Word Forms

• despotically adverb
• nondespotic adjective
• nondespotically adverb
• undespotic adjective
• undespotically adverb

Etymology

Origin of despotic

1640–50; < French despotique < Greek despotikós. See despot, -ic

Example Sentences

Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Francisco Franco had heir faces on stamps, currency, and coins during their respective despotic reigns.

From Slate • Dec. 20, 2025

Far from being despotic, Louis sought to be a constitutional monarch, with representative institutions that could mobilize consent and resources behind state policy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

In reality they were abandoned to poverty under the rule of despotic local leaders.

From BBC • May 25, 2024

In a growing genre of movies inspired by the #MeToo movement, two very different films stand out: “Women Talking” and “Tár,” a portrait of a despotic, world-famous conductor heading for a fall.

From New York Times • Jan. 5, 2023

Now I never had, as the reader knows, either given any formal promise or entered into any engagement; and this language was all much too hard and much too despotic for the occasion.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë