despot Definition
des·pot (des′pət)
noun
- Archaic a title meaning “master,” applied to certain classes of rulers, as Byzantine emperors or bishops of the Greek church
- an absolute ruler; king with unlimited powers; autocrat
- anyone in charge who acts like a tyrant
Etymology: 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)
despot Synonyms
despot Usage Examples
Preposition: of
- lot: That then easily became opposition to Napoleon, the most formidable enlightened despot of the lot.
- century: Waugh fails to make the connection between the action of the Lancashire mill owner and the philosophy of European despots of the eighteenth century.
Converse of object
- become: In 1792, Gustavus III, a patron of the arts who had become an enlightened despot, was shot.
- like: Charlotte always arranges everything in our house and rules us like a despot.
Adjective modifier
- benevolent: The table scrap thing makes a person feel like a benevolent despot, a human queen of the cat realm.
- enlightened: In 1792, Gustavus III, a patron of the arts who had become an enlightened despot, was shot.
- local: He was a local despot, with great appeal to Arab youths.
- evil: Stalin was quickly depicted as an evil despot, out to conquer the world.
- absolute: It is true that the bishop was not an absolute despot.
- political: The AoD production represented the returning warrior as a political despot ( complete with leather Nazi-style coat ).
Preposition: in
charge: I support regime change where despots in charge are a danger to their own citizens and a danger to the citizens of other countries.
Browse dictionary entries near despot
- ‹ despondent
- ‹ despondency
- ‹ despond
- ‹ despoliation
- ‹ despoil
- ‹ despiteful
- ‹ despite
- ‹ despise
- ‹ despicable
- ‹ desperation
- despotic ›
- despotism ›
- despumate ›
- desquamate ›
- Dessau ›
- dessert ›
- dessertspoon ›
- dessiatine ›
- destabilize ›
- destain ›

