despotism
noun/ˈdɛspətɪzəm/
Etymology
From French despotisme; equivalent to despot + -ism.
- borrowed from despotisme
Definitions
Government by a despot or despots
Government by a despot or despots: rule by a singular authority, either a single person or a tight-knit group, which rules with absolute power, especially in a cruel and oppressive way.
- The iron hand of despotism has quenched the last spark of liberty; hunted down like a wild beast, I am watching an opportunity to fly my degraded and enslaved country.
- But now events have proved that I was right because Khrushchev's grandchildren do live in freedom and the great question of our time: can they continue to live in freedom, or will they revert to the old, or a new despotism?
The neighborhood
Vish — recursive loop
No curated loop yet for despotism. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.
sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA