tyranny
ty·ranny
noun
1.
a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)
2.
dominance through threat of punishment and violence
Origin
Inherited from Middle English tirannye, from Old French tyrannie, from Medieval Latin tyrannia, tyrania, from Ancient Greek τυραννία (turannía, “tyranny”), from τύραννος (túrannos, “lord, master, sovereign, tyrant”).
Phrases
- turnkey tyranny
- tyranny of the majority
- tyranny of the masses
Related words
Narrower terms
WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.