despotism
noun
Simple meaning
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.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
dehspuhtihzuhmSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈdɛspətɪzəm
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
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.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: 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.
Used this way, despotism is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It carries more force than its gentler alternatives. It turns up most in government or politics and personal or emotional discussion contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Strong
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Everyday but emotionally strong
Where it naturally appears
- Government/politics
- Personal/emotional discussion
- Literature/storytelling
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
A government in which a single ruler (a tyrant) has absolute power, or this system of government.
A government which exercises autocratic rule.
Positiveness; the state of being absolute.
A system of government in which the people have virtually no authority and the state wields absolute control, for….
A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition….
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
- libertynoun
- democracynoun
- liberalismnoun
- socialismnoun
- monarchynoun
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: government by a despot or despots
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