tyrannical
pronunciation
How to pronounce tyrannical in British English:
UK [tɪˈrænɪkl]
How to pronounce tyrannical in American English:
US [tɪˈrænɪkəl, taɪ-]
-
- Adjective:
- of or relating to or associated with or resembling a dictatorship
- marked by unjust severity or arbitrary behavior
- characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule; having absolute sovereignty
Word Origin
- tyrannical (adj.)
- 1530s, from Latin tyrannicus "arbitrary, despotic," from Greek tyrannikos "befitting a despot," from tyrannos (see tyrant) + -al (1). Tyrannic was used in this sense from late 15c. Related: Tyrannically.
Example
- 1. On the positive side , they conclusively ended the tyrannical rule of saddam hussein .
- 2. Tyrannical governments sitting on oilfields will be more likely to find protection from powerful oil-consuming countries .
- 3. Like so many other revolutionaries , his regime became tyrannical and collapsed when he died .
- 4. To a man , they proclaim their differences from al-qaeda , insisting that from the first they have waged a local struggle against a tyrannical ruler , not a global struggle targeting the west .
- 5. I suppose we at pen have an optimistic view of human nature : that , given full access to everything on the menu , people on the whole will reject the tyrannical , the sadistic , and the repugnant .