tyrant

American  

[tahy-ruhnt] / ˈtaɪ rənt /

noun

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

• undertyrant noun

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

Example Sentences

The author is a fan of this feminist hero but acknowledges that Rankin was a family tyrant with a short fuse.

From The Wall Street Journal

To mirror the real world, the Land of Sweets was not spared from an evil nutcracker tyrant.

From Los Angeles Times

The threat came, he wrote, from men who “have begun their careers by paying an obsequious court to the people; commencing demagogues and ending tyrants.”

From Washington Post

One of Trump’s most loyal supporters in Congress, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, said, without citing evidence, that Trump was innocent and “the only one standing in the way of these modern day tyrants.”

From Washington Times

But for Rumble's supporters, such as Mr Nunes, who moved Truth Social across to Rumble's infrastructure last year, it means "we are not relying on any tech tyrants".

From BBC

Related Words

• autocrat
• bully
• despot
• dictator
• oppressor