despotic

adjective

des·​pot·​ic de-ˈspä-tik How to pronounce despotic (audio)
di-
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a despot
a despotic government
despotically adverb

Examples of despotic in a Sentence

a nation ruled by a series of despotic rulers, each seemingly worse than the last the despotic coach demands that his players obey him without question
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Still, somewhere between Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming, Downey’s public personality took on the triple-espresso cadence of Iron Man improv, and there’s a Comic Book Guy part of me that feels Downey’s manic energy is all wrong for playing a moody despotic sorcerer. Darren Franich, Vulture, 31 July 2024 Gaza is finally ready to free itself of the despotic rule of Hamas, which creates for Gazans the real possibility of having a future of hope, and not of endless war and despair. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, TIME, 17 Oct. 2024 In contrast, land powers were often portrayed as despotic and militaristic. Colin Flint, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2024 Idris Elba costars as the Commandant, a despotic leader who preys on Abu. Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for despotic 

Word History

Etymology

see despot

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of despotic was in 1604

Dictionary Entries Near despotic

Cite this Entry

“Despotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/despotic. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

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