TYRANNOUS Synonyms: 102 Similar and Opposite Words

tyrannous

adjective

ˈtir-ə-nəs

Definition of tyrannous

as in oppressive

exercising power or authority without interference by others studied the tyrannous rule of Stalin, communist dictator of the Soviet Union

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in authoritarian

fond of ordering people around my older sister is a tyrannous bore who isn't happy unless she's in charge

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of tyrannous These tyrannous tabbies don’t understand that canning is not exclusively for wet food. — Julie Klausner, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024 The same study posited that Fela was not the only popular musician who confronted the military and tyrannous leaders of Nigeria between independence in 1960 and Fela’s passing in 1997. — Garhe Osiebe, Quartz Africa, 21 Feb. 2021

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyrannous

Adjective

In Atlanta, high temps are expected in the mid-90s on Friday, and the humidity will make the heat feel more oppressive.

— Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Such tools for combating oppressive heat look prescient now, but Stierli isn’t impressed; Tropical Modernism was sensitive to the region’s climate but not to its culture.

— Justin Davidson, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of oppressive

Adjective

Castro’s death could also spark the sort of power struggles among factions that usually follow the death of an authoritarian leader.

— Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
By eroding the feedback loop that every stable government—even the most authoritarian—needs to stay in power, the Putin regime is becoming less capable of understanding the real condition of Russia.

— Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of authoritarian

Adjective

While some of the color contrasts do articulate planar shifts, such as the candy-stripe lips (red for upper, pink for lower), many of the touches are arbitrary splotches that neither bolster a shape nor set another off.

— Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
The choices of what to put in each episode — and when to cut from one timeline to another — have sometimes felt arbitrary, and have often disrupted the story’s overall flow.

— Noel Murray, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of arbitrary

Adjective

She’s played with a darkly enigmatic, unnerving quality by James in her finest work to date — a knowing, even domineering smile often curling around her lips.

— Tomris Laffly, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Rebecca Hall, playing his elegantly domineering wife, gets even less.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of domineering

Adjective

There, the tyrannical February has condemned its inhabitants to eternal winter and forbids them from flying, while a masked resistance movement known as The Solution fights to restore light and freedom.

— Alexandra Patterson, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
The 2015 action film, set in a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland, stars Theron as warrior Imperator Furiosa, who leads the daring escape of female prisoners from a tyrannical ruler.

— Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of tyrannical

Adjective

Each of these decisions laid the groundwork for the war on Iran today, one that started without a clear strategy on the arrogant expectation of a quick victory.

— Alexander Langlois, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026
The data center industry is only one face of an arrogant oligarchy that people believe now runs Congress, the courts, the White House, state legislatures and local governments.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of arrogant

Adjective

Any transgression of new standards of speech and behavior could put someone at risk of social banishment, in the truly despotic shape of cancellation.

— Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
The comedy of errors that follows as Ina attempts to solve the nation’s problems, from traffic congestion to energy crisis, doubles as a critique of the despotic regime and the tumult of living in such hellish times.

— Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of despotic

Adjective

At a Sunday rally in Georgia, Ossoff needled Trump for accepting a new Air Force One plane from the autocratic monarchy of Qatar and for reportedly hiding in a catering truck to switch to a different plane in Turkey last month.

— Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 20 Aug. 2026
Increasing the stakes is Florida’s connection to Latin America, given that many expats settled in the state after fleeing autocratic leftist regimes in Cuba and Venezuela.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of autocratic

Browse Nearby Words

tyrannizing

tyrannous

tyranny

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Tyrannous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyrannous. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of tyrannous

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gist

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes