Synonyms for tyranny
ˈtɪr ə nityran·ny

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.5 / 4 votes

1. tyranny

   Synonyms:
   despotism, inclemency, persecution, autocracy

   Antonyms:
   freedom, independence, humanity, clemency, constitutionalism

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. dictatorship, absolutism, authoritarianism, Caesarism, despotism, monocracy, one-man rule, shogunate, Stalinism, totalitarianism, tyrannynoun

   a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)

   Synonyms:
   shogunate, totalism, dictatorship, authoritarianism, one-man rule, absolutism, despotism, monocracy, totalitarianism

2. absolutism, tyranny, despotismnoun

   dominance through threat of punishment and violence

   Synonyms:
   shogunate, totalism, dictatorship, authoritarianism, one-man rule, absolutism, despotism, monocracy, totalitarianism

Matched Categories

1. • Autocracy

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. tyrannynoun

   Synonyms:
   despotism, absolutism, dictatorship, arbitrary power, despotic rule

2. tyrannynoun

   Synonyms:
   oppression, iron rule, reign of terror, cruel government

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. tyrannynoun

   Synonyms:
   despotism, absolutism, oppression, rigor, severity

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:3.0 / 1 vote

1. List of paraphrases for "tyranny":

   despotism, tyrant, dictatorship, oppression

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How to use tyranny in a sentence?

1. John Locke:

   Tis a Mistake to think this Fault [tyranny] is proper only to Monarchies; other Forms of Government are liable to it, as well as that. For where-ever the Power that is put in any hands for the Government of the People, and the Preservation of their Properties, is applied to other ends, and made use of to impoverish, harass, or subdue them to the Arbitrary and Irregular Commands of those that have it: There it presently becomes Tyranny, whether those that thus use it are one or many.

2. Edward Abbey:

   No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets.

3. Bertrand Russell:

   One should as a rule respect public opinion in so far as is necessary to avoid starvation and to keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny, and is likely to interfere with happiness in all kinds of ways.

4. George W. Bush, State of the Union address, January 20, 2004:

   I believe that God has planted in every human heart the desire to live in freedom. And even when that desire is crushed by tyranny for decades, it will rise again.

5. Peter Kropotkin:

   America is just the country that shows how all the written guarantees in the world for freedom are no protection against tyranny and oppression of the worst kind. There the politician has come to be looked upon as the very scum of society.