despotism

CEFRC1

/ˈdɛspətɪzəm/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    Government by a ruler with unlimited and cruel power.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    Government 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.

Examples

  • Despotism and the most absurd arrogance punish even supreme foreign courts.

  • Property is the right to use & abuse; it engenders despotism.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
2
Parts of speech
1
Citations
2
Synonyms
4

Deep Dive

More examples

In context

  • 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.

  • 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?

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The nation suffered under decades of brutal blank that crushed all opposition.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From French despotisme; equivalent to despot + -ism.