What does tyranny mean?

Definitions for tyranny
ˈtɪr ə nityran·ny

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word tyranny.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. dictatorship, absolutism, authoritarianism, Caesarism, despotism, monocracy, one-man rule, shogunate, Stalinism, totalitarianism, tyrannynoun

    a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)

  2. absolutism, tyranny, despotismnoun

    dominance through threat of punishment and violence

Wiktionary

  1. tyrannynoun

    A government in which a single ruler (a tyrant) has absolute power.

  2. tyrannynoun

    The office or jurisdiction of an absolute ruler.

  3. tyrannynoun

    Absolute power, or its use.

  4. tyrannynoun

    Extreme severity or rigour.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Tyrannynoun

    Etymology: tyrannis, Latin; τυραννὶς; tyrannie, Fr.

    Our grand foe,
    Who now triumphs, and, in th’ excess of joy,
    Sole reigning holds the tyranny of heav’n. John Milton.

    The cities fell often under tyrannies, which spring naturally out of popular governments. William Temple.

    Boundless intemperance
    In nature is a tyranny; it hath been
    Th’untimely emptying of the happy throne,
    And fall of many kings. William Shakespeare.

    Bleed, bleed, poor country!
    Great tyranny lay thou thy basis sure,
    For goodness dares not check thee. William Shakespeare.

    Suspicions dispose kings to tyranny, and husbands to jealousy. Francis Bacon.

    God in judgment just,
    Subjects him from without to violent lords;
    Who oft as undeservedly inthral
    His outward freedom; tyranny must be. John Milton.

    The tyranny o’ the open night’s too rough
    For nature to endure. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

Wikipedia

  1. tyranny

    A tyrant (from Ancient Greek τύραννος (túrannos) 'absolute ruler'), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to repressive means. The original Greek term meant an absolute sovereign who came to power without constitutional right, yet the word had a neutral connotation during the Archaic and early Classical periods. However, Greek philosopher Plato saw tyrannos as a negative word, and on account of the decisive influence of philosophy on politics, Plato deemed tyranny the “fourth and worst disorder of a state.” Tyrants lack “the very faculty that is the instrument of judgment”—reason. The tyrannical man is enslaved because the best part of him (reason) is enslaved, and likewise, the tyrannical state is enslaved, because it too lacks reason and order. Its negative connotations only increased, continuing into the Hellenistic period.The philosophers Plato and Aristotle defined a tyrant as a person who rules without law, using extreme and cruel methods against both his own people and others. The Encyclopédie defined the term as a usurper of sovereign power who makes "his subjects the victims of his passions and unjust desires, which he substitutes for laws". In the late fifth and fourth centuries BC, a new kind of tyrant, one who had the support of the military, arose – specifically in Sicily.

ChatGPT

  1. tyranny

    Tyranny is a form of government or rule characterized by the absolute power exercised by a single person, known as a tyrant, who usually maintains control through the use of oppressive, unjust, or cruel methods. It involves a violation of human rights, suppression of political dissidents, and lack of respect for the rule of law.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Tyrannynoun

    the government or authority of a tyrant; a country governed by an absolute ruler; hence, arbitrary or despotic exercise of power; exercise of power over subjects and others with a rigor not authorized by law or justice, or not requisite for the purposes of government

  2. Tyrannynoun

    cruel government or discipline; as, the tyranny of a schoolmaster

  3. Tyrannynoun

    severity; rigor; inclemency

Wikidata

  1. Tyranny

    Tyranny is the third album by the progressive metal group Shadow Gallery, released in 1998. It is the first concept album made by the band, and the story that commences on this album is continued in the album Room V.

Matched Categories

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce tyranny?

How to say tyranny in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of tyranny in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of tyranny in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of tyranny in a Sentence

  1. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee:

    Having Kim Davis in federal custody removes all doubt of the criminalization of Christianity in our country. We must defend religious liberty and never surrender to judicial tyranny, i am proud of Kim for standing strong for her beliefs. Who will be next? Pastors? Photographers? Caterers? Florists? This is a reckless, appalling, out-of-control decision that undermines the Constitution of the United States and our fundamental right to religious liberty.

  2. Lyndon B. Johnson:

    As it was 189 years ago, so today the cause of America is a revolutionary cause. And I am proud this morning to salute you as fellow revolutionaries. Neither you nor I are willing to accept the tyranny of poverty, nor the dictatorship of ignorance, nor the despotism of ill health, nor the oppression of bias and prejudice and bigotry. We want change. We want progress. We want it both abroad and at homeand we aim to get it.

  3. Blake Austin:

    We The People have spoken and we are pissed! No antifa, no BLM … We The People took the Capitol! Every American ethnicity was here. Democratic tyranny WILL NOT STAND! WE HAVE SPOKEN!!

  4. William Ellery Channing:

    Great minds are to make others great. Their superiority is to be used, not to break the multitude to intellectual vassalage, not to establish over them a spiritual tyranny, but to rouse them from lethargy, and to aidthem to judge for themselves.

  5. President Biden:

    Putin knows that when I am president of the United States his days of tyranny and trying to intimidate the United States and those in Eastern Europe are over.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

tyranny#10000#19906#100000

Translations for tyranny

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for tyranny »

Translation

Find a translation for the tyranny definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"tyranny." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 17 Jan. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/tyranny>.

Discuss these tyranny definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for tyranny? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Image or illustration of

    tyranny

    Credit »

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    a disposition that is confused or nervous and upset
    A lucubrate
    B gloat
    C suffuse
    D fluster

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for tyranny: