tyranny
- 01 C1 Advanced
a government where one person has all the power and treats people cruelly.
a political system in which a single ruler exercises absolute power, typically in a cruel or oppressive manner.
Simple“The people finally rose up to end decades of tyranny and demand their freedom.”
In context“The revolution was born from a collective desire to dismantle the long-standing tyranny that had suppressed political dissent for generations.”
UsageOften used with the definite article 'the' when referring to a specific regime.
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
the unfair or cruel use of power over other people.
the arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power or control over others.
Simple“The children suffered under the tyranny of their strict and unkind headmaster.”
In context“The essay explores the tyranny of social expectations and how they limit individual expression in modern society.”
UsageCan be used metaphorically to describe non-political situations of control.
Synonyms
“It is a mad, daunting, haunting film which somehow persuades you that Landau is at the sulphurous centre of Soviet tyranny.”
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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.