Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Unjust or oppressive governmental power.
- noun A government in which a single ruler is vested with absolute power.
- noun The office, authority, or jurisdiction of an absolute ruler.
- noun The oppressive or unjust use of power.
- noun A tyrannical act.
- noun An oppressive or harshly limiting condition.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The rule of a tyrant in the ancient sense; the personal government of one of the Greek tyrants; a state or government having an uncontrolled ruler bearing the title of tyrant.
- noun The office or incumbency of a tyrant; a tyrant's administration or tenure; the system of government by tyrants.
- noun Hence A tyrannical government; a lawless autocracy or despotism.
- noun Arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power; despotic abuse of anthority; unmerciful rule.
- noun A tyrannical action or proceeding; an instance of despotic rule or conduct.
- noun Severity; harshness; stringency.
- noun Synonyms Despotism, Autocracy, etc. See
despotism . - noun Oppression, Despotism, etc. See
oppression .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The government or authority of a tyrant; a country governed by an absolute ruler; hence, arbitrary or despotic exercise of power; exercise of power over subjects and others with a rigor not authorized by law or justice, or not requisite for the purposes of government.
- noun Cruel government or discipline.
- noun Severity; rigor; inclemency.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
government in which asingle ruler (atyrant ) hasabsolute power . - noun The
office orjurisdiction of an absoluteruler . - noun Absolute
power , or its use. - noun
Extreme severity orrigour .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)
- noun dominance through threat of punishment and violence
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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One reason is what we call the "tyranny of the shoulds."
Barbara & Shannon Kelley: Are Women "Pornified" by Popular Media?
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French President Nicolas Sarkozy has paid tribute to seven French soldiers killed last week in Afghanistan, saying they fought in a just war against what he called the "tyranny" of the Taliban movement.
Sarkozy: French Troops Killed in Afghanistan Fought Taliban's 'Tyranny'
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One reason is what we call the "tyranny of the shoulds."
Barbara & Shannon Kelley: Are Women "Pornified" by Popular Media?
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This introduces what I call the tyranny of choice.
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People always think that living in a tyranny is a cohesive experience.
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People always think that living in a tyranny is a cohesive experience.
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But both Bonaparte and his Minister in the affairs of the Church, Portalis, refused the introduction of what they called a tyranny on the conscience.
Complete Project Gutenberg Collection of Memoirs of Napoleon
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But both Bonaparte and his Minister in the affairs of the Church, Portalis, refused the introduction of what they called a tyranny on the conscience.
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An autocracy or a tyranny is a far simpler form of social and political organization than a democracy.
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Once there, he began to notice what he described as the "tyranny of the moment" mindset among low-income families and others living below the poverty line.
raavan commented on the word tyranny
aristocracy vs monarchy vs democracy
November 15, 2009