tyrannicide
Killing oppressive rulers
Tyrannicide is the killing of a tyrant, or the person who commits such an act.
The word carries a note of justification—unlike assassination, which is neutral or negative, tyrannicide implies the ruler deserved death for oppression: The conspirators saw themselves as tyrannicides, not murderers.
Political philosophy has long debated when tyrannicide is legitimate.
Violent governmental overthrow
- uprisingOrganized resistance to power
- liberationRelease from constraint
- overthrowForcible removal from power
- insurrectionViolent uprising against authority
revolt · rebellion · coup · resistance · sedition · defiance · conspiracy · plot
Murder of a prominent figure
- killingCausing death deliberately
- executionCompleting a planned task
- slayingAct of killing
- murderDeliberate unlawful killing
elimination · liquidation · targeted killing · coup de grâce · death blow · dispatch · removal
Ruler with total control
- despotRuler with absolute power
- autocratSole wielder of power
- oppressorOne who dominates cruelly
- usurperIllegal power seizer
totalitarian · absolute ruler · strongman · authoritarian · pharaoh · duce · generalissimo
Punishment for wrongdoing
- vengeanceRetaliation for injury
- punishmentPenalty for an offense
- accountabilityObligation for one's actions
- righteousnessMoral correctness or virtue
justification · liberation · deliverance · moral duty · just cause · necessary evil
Lawful or rightful status
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
- natural lawInherent moral principles
- social contractAgreement exchanging freedom for order
- just warMorally permitted armed conflict
political ethics · Locke · Aquinas · Cicero · consent · self-defense · moral philosophy · republicanism
Roman who killed Caesar
- CassiusRoman senator, assassin
- Julius CaesarRoman dictator and general
- MaratFrench revolutionary journalist
- BoothHistorical surname
revolution
Violent governmental overthrow
- uprisingOrganized resistance to power
- liberationRelease from constraint
- overthrowForcible removal from power
insurrection · revolt · rebellion · coup · resistance · sedition · defiance · conspiracy · plot · mutiny
assassination
Murder of a prominent figure
murder · elimination · liquidation · targeted killing · coup de grâce · death blow · dispatch · removal
dictator
Ruler with total control
usurper · totalitarian · absolute ruler · strongman · authoritarian · pharaoh · duce · generalissimo
retribution
Punishment for wrongdoing
- vengeanceRetaliation for injury
- punishmentPenalty for an offense
- accountabilityObligation for one's actions
righteousness · justification · liberation · deliverance · moral duty · just cause · necessary evil
legitimacy
Lawful or rightful status
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
- natural lawInherent moral principles
- social contractAgreement exchanging freedom for order
just war · political ethics · Locke · Aquinas · Cicero · consent · self-defense · moral philosophy · republicanism
Brutus
Roman who killed Caesar
- CassiusRoman senator, assassin
- Julius CaesarRoman dictator and general
- MaratFrench revolutionary journalist
- -cide wordsgenocide, fungicide, herbicide, insecticide, pesticide
- ancient politicsAthenian democracy, polis, senate, archon, direct democracy
- Assassinationsassassination, assassin, Kennedy assassination, Lincoln assassination, MLK assassination
- historical crimestreason, heresy, blasphemy, witchcraft, piracy
- killingsmurder for hire, manslaughter, killing, assassination, first-degree murder
- political violenceassassination, targeted killing, insurrection, summary execution, state terror
tyrannicideregicide
Murdering a monarch
usurpation · enthronement · tyranny · coup d'état · putsch
tyrannicidecollaboration
Joint intellectual work
complicity · praetorian guard · appeasement · sycophancy · bootlicking
tyrant, suicide, tyranny, homicide, tyrannical, tyrannize, regicide, matricide, tyrannous