Despotism Meaning
/ˈdɛspətɪzəm/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounGovernment by a despot or despots: rule by a singular authority, either a single person or a tight-knit group, which rules with absolute power, especially in a cruel and oppressive way.
Sentence Examples
Property is the right to use & abuse; it engenders despotism.
Despotism and the most absurd arrogance punish even supreme foreign courts.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The nation suffered under decades of brutal ____ that crushed all opposition.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Property is the right to use & abuse it engenders ____.
Word Origin & History
From French despotisme; equivalent to despot + -ism.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The iron hand of despotism has quenched the last spark of liberty; hunted down like a wild beast, I am watching an opportunity to fly my degraded and enslaved country."
— 1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter VII, in Romance and Reality. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 136:
"But now events have proved that I was right because Khrushchev's grandchildren do live in freedom and the great question of our time: can they continue to live in freedom, or will they revert to the old, or a new despotism?"
— 1992 March 30, Richard Nixon, 4:50 from the start, in Richard Nixon on "Inside Washington", Richard Nixon Foundation, retrieved 25 May 2020:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The nation suffered under decades of brutal ____ that crushed all opposition.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Property is the right to use & abuse it engenders ____.