tyrant
n. countablen. a leader who has total power and uses it in a cruel or unfair way. People often use this word for someone who treats others badly and demands complete obedience.
n. an absolute ruler who exercises power oppressively or cruelly. Often used to describe a person who has seized power illegally or governs without the constraint of law.
The people finally rose up against the cruel tyrant.
History remembers him as a tyrant who imprisoned anyone who dared to disagree with his policies.
The transition from a functional democracy to a regime led by a tyrant often begins with the systematic erosion of judicial independence and press freedom.
From Middle English tyraunt, tiraunt, tyrant, tyrante, from Old French tyrant, from the addition of a terminal -t to tiran (cp. French tyran) via a back-formation related to the development of French present participles out of the Latin -ans form, from Latin tyrannus (“despot”), from Ancient Greek τύραννος (túrannos, “usurper, monarch, despot”), of uncertain origin.
Frequently used metaphorically to describe a person in a position of authority, such as a boss or parent, who is overly controlling.