tyrant
Merciless absolute ruler
A tyrant is a ruler who exercises power cruelly and oppressively, without legal or moral restraint.
The word extends beyond politics to anyone who wields authority harshly: My boss is a complete tyrant.
In ancient Greece, a tyrant was simply someone who seized power without hereditary right—the negative connotations came later.
Children sometimes call strict parents tyrants: Dad won't let me go to the party—he's such a tyrant.
Ruler with total control
- despotRuler with absolute power
- autocratSole wielder of power
- authoritarianFavoring absolute control
- totalitarianDictatorial, all-controlling regime
oppressor · regime · junta · coup · usurper · strongman · warlord · oligarch
Ancient Egyptian ruler
- czarAbsolute ruler or appointee
- emperorMale ruler of empire
- sultanMuslim royal ruler
- shahIranian hereditary ruler
kaiser · shogun · raja · khan · satrap · imperator · potentate · Nero
Unjust exercise of power
- subjugationForcing into submission
- enslavementForced human ownership
- repressionUnconscious blocking of thoughts
- exploitationSelfish use of others
coercion · intimidation · suppression · control · domineering · iron-fisted · heavy-handed · draconian
Savagely harsh or severe
- ruthlessLacking any compassion
- mercilessShowing no clemency
- cruelWillfully causing suffering
- sadisticFinding pleasure in cruelty
vicious · bloodthirsty · heartless · callous · pitiless · barbaric · savage · heinous
Habitual intimidator
- bossWorkplace superior
- taskmasterStrict work supervisor
- micromanagerOne who overcontrols subordinates
- martinetHarsh enforcer of discipline
disciplinarian · control freak · helicopter parent · drill sergeant · slave driver · overlord · gatekeeper · abuser
One with grandiose self-image
- narcissistSelf-obsessed person
- egomaniacOne obsessed with themselves
- arrogantExcessively high self-regard
- imperiousArrogantly authoritative
overbearing · paranoid · vindictive · capricious · petty · insecure · grandiose · self-aggrandizing
dictator
Ruler with total control
- despotRuler with absolute power
- autocratSole wielder of power
- authoritarianFavoring absolute control
totalitarian · oppressor · regime · junta · coup · usurper · strongman · warlord · oligarch · supremo
pharaoh
Ancient Egyptian ruler
shah · kaiser · shogun · raja · khan · satrap · imperator · potentate · Nero · Caligula
oppression
Unjust exercise of power
- subjugationForcing into submission
- enslavementForced human ownership
- repressionUnconscious blocking of thoughts
exploitation · coercion · intimidation · suppression · control · domineering · iron-fisted · heavy-handed · draconian · yoke
brutal
Savagely harsh or severe
sadistic · vicious · bloodthirsty · heartless · callous · pitiless · barbaric · savage · heinous · atrocity
bully
Habitual intimidator
- bossWorkplace superior
- taskmasterStrict work supervisor
- micromanagerOne who overcontrols subordinates
martinet · disciplinarian · control freak · helicopter parent · drill sergeant · slave driver · overlord · gatekeeper · abuser · toxic
megalomaniac
One with grandiose self-image
- narcissistSelf-obsessed person
- egomaniacOne obsessed with themselves
- arrogantExcessively high self-regard
imperious · overbearing · paranoid · vindictive · capricious · petty · insecure · grandiose · self-aggrandizing · hubris
- Dystopia1984, Nineteen Eighty-Four, dystopian fiction, totalitarianism, Brave New World
- authorityleaders, ruler, rulers, monarch, bosses
- dominancedominance, dominant, supremacy, superiority, ascendancy
- ancient titlesconsul, pharaoh, praetor, vizier, tribune
- autocratsautocrat, despot, dictator, strongman, authoritarian
- dictatorsdictator, despot, autocrat, Stalin, Hitler
tyrantdemocrat
Advocate for popular rule
liberator · constitutional monarch · elected leader · servant leader · representative
- petty tyrant
- tyrannical ruleHarsh authoritarian governance
- tyranny of the majorityDemocracy's oppressive potential
- tyranny of the massesMajority imposing unjust rule
- tyranny of majorityDemocratic oppression of minorities
tyranny, tyrannical, tyrants, tyrannize, tyrannous, tyrannies, tyrannizing, tyrannized, tyrannically