Did you know?
In his 1755 dictionary, Samuel Johnson said of despot, "this word is not in use, except as applied to some Dacian prince; as the despot of Servia." Indeed at that time, the word was mainly used to identify some very specific rulers or religious officials, and the title was an honorable one: it comes from a Greek word meaning "lord" or "master." That situation changed toward the end of the 18th century, perhaps because French Revolutionists, who were said to have been "very liberal in conferring this title," considered all sovereigns to be tyrannical. Eventually, despot came to be used primarily for any ruler who wielded absolute and often contemptuous and oppressive power.
Synonyms
Examples of despot in a Sentence
Big Think, 24 June 2024
The question is whether Kim’s blossoming bromance with Putin risks emboldening the North Korean despot.
—Charlie Campbell, TIME, 19 June 2024
Presidents, movie stars, criminals and despots Barbara Jill Walters was a force from the time TV was exploding on the American scene in the 1960s to its waning preeminence in a new world of competition from streaming services and social media a half-century later.
—Susan Page, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
Although those who survived would pick up the pieces, the tyrants knew that their futures as ruthless despots were imperiled.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for despot 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'despot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to despot
Dictionary Entries Near despot
Cite this Entry
“Despot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/despot. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
despot
noun
Share