tyrannical

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin tyrannicus + -al; ultimately from Ancient Greek τύραννος (túrannos) (absolute ruler, despot).

Pronunciation

  • (General American) enPR: tĭ-rănʹĭ-kəl, tī-, IPA(key): /təˈrænəkəl/, /tiˈrænəkəl/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ænɪkəl
  • Hyphenation US: tyran‧ni‧cal, UK: tyr‧an‧nical[3]

Adjective

tyrannical (comparative more tyrannical, superlative most tyrannical)

  1. (not comparable) Of, or relating to tyranny or a tyrant.
  2. (comparable) Despotic, oppressive, or authoritarian.
    a tyrannical regime
    tyrannical rulers
    • September 8 2022, Stephen Bates, “Queen Elizabeth II obituary”, in The Guardian‎[2]:
      She met more than a quarter of all the American presidents who have ever lived, five popes, hundreds of national leaders, from the saintly, such as Nelson Mandela, to the tyrannical, including Robert Mugabe and Nicolae Ceausescu […]

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

References

  1. ^ “tyrannical”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
  2. ^ “tyrannical”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
  3. ^ “online hyphenation tool”, in ushuaia.pl‎[1], 22 June 2022 (last accessed)
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