A despot is a ruler or other person who has a lot of power and who uses it unfairly or cruelly.
Synonyms: tyrant, dictator, totalitarian, Big Brother More Synonyms of despot
despot in British English
(ˈdɛspɒt)
noun
1.
an absolute or tyrannical ruler; autocrat or tyrant
2.
any person in power who acts tyrannically
3.
a title borne by numerous persons of rank in the later Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires
Derived forms
despotic (dɛsˈpɒtɪk) or despotical (desˈpotical)
adjective
despotically (desˈpotically)
adverb
Word origin
C16: from Medieval Latin despota, from Greek despotēs lord, master; related to Latin domus house
despot in American English
(ˈdɛspət)
noun
1. Archaic
a title meaning “master,” applied to certain classes of rulers, as Byzantine emperors or bishops of the Greek church
2.
an absolute ruler; king with unlimited powers; autocrat
3.
anyone in charge who acts like a tyrant
Word origin
OFr despote < Gr despotēs, a master, lord < IE *dems-potis, lit., house master < *dem-, house (> timber, L domus) + *potis, master, husband (> L potis, potent, Goth -faths, husband)
Examples of 'despot' in a sentence
despot
I mentioned earlier their hopes of influencing enlightened despots.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
This was also the aim of enlightened despots such as Maria Theresa.
Kishlansky, Mark A. (editor) Sources of the West: Readings in Western Civilization, Volume 1: From the Beginningto 1715 (1995)
This is strikingly similar to the eighteenth-century philosopher's theory of the enlighteneddespot.
Peter F. Drucker MANAGEMENT: task, responsibilities, practices (1974)
Support for despots and dictators, as long as they were ours, is no longer a viable foreign policy option.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
(noun)
Definition
any person in power who acts tyrannically
He described the president as a ruthless despot.
Synonyms
tyrant
Since 1804 the country has been mostly ruled by tyrants.
dictator
the country's long-term military dictator
totalitarian
Big Brother
oppressor
The rebels called upon the people to rise up against their oppressors.
control freak
autocrat
Her management style was that of an unapologetic autocrat.
monocrat
Additional synonyms
in the sense of autocrat
Definition
a dictatorial person
Her management style was that of an unapologetic autocrat.
Synonyms
dictator,
tyrant,
Big Brother,
control freak,
despot,
absolutist
in the sense of dictator
Definition
a person who behaves in a tyrannical manner
the country's long-term military dictator
Synonyms
absolute ruler,
tyrant,
despot,
Big Brother,
oppressor,
control freak,
autocrat,
absolutist,
martinet
in the sense of oppressor
The rebels called upon the people to rise up against their oppressors.