- of or suited to a tyrant; arbitrary; despotic
- harsh, cruel, unjust, oppressive, etc.
Origin of tyrannical
Classical Latin tyrannicus from Classical Greek tyrannikosAlso ty·ran′nic
adjective
The definition of tyrannical is cruel and unjust power or control.
An evil dictator is an example of a leader that would be described as tyrannical.
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"tyrannical." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 23 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Tyrannical>.
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tyrannical. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23rd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Tyrannical
tyrannical
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"tyrannical." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 23 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Tyrannical>.
APA Style
tyrannical. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23rd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Tyrannical
tyrannical
also ty·ran·nic
adjective
- Of or relating to a tyrant or tyranny: a tyrannical government.
- Characteristic of a tyrant or tyranny; despotic and oppressive: a tyrannical supervisor. See Synonyms at dictatorial.
Related Forms:
- ty·ran′ni·cal·ly
adverb
- ty·ran′ni·cal·ness
noun
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"tyrannical." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 23 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Tyrannical>.
APA Style
tyrannical. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23rd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Tyrannical
Adjective
(comparative more tyrannical, superlative most tyrannical)
- (not comparable) Of, or relating to tyranny or a tyrant.
- (comparable) Despotic, oppressive or authoritarian.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"tyrannical." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 23 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Tyrannical>.
APA Style
tyrannical. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23rd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Tyrannical
Sentence Examples
- He was a tyrannical ruler, and died suddenly in 1522.
- In violation of the Law he married a brother's widow, who had already borne children, and in general he showed himself so fierce and tyrannical that the Jews joined with the Samaritans to accuse him before the emperor.
- So tyrannical, however, was his rule that in 1316 he was expelled by the popular fury.
- At his instance of the tyrannical system of arbitrary imposts and so Florence."
- No less a tyrannical master than the Turks and the sheiks;, the country revolted in 1834, but the insurrection was quelled.
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WORDS NEAR tyrannical IN THE DICTIONARY
- tyrannical
- tyrannesses
- tyranneutes
- tyranni