noun
- Dominance through threat of punishment and violence.
- synonyms: absolutism, tyranny
- A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.. ).
- synonyms: dictatorship, absolutism, authoritarianism, Caesarism, monocracy, one-man rule, shogunate, Stalinism, totalitarianism, tyranny
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). despotism. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/despotism/definitions/1327249 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "despotism" http://smartdefine.org/despotism/definitions/1327249 (accessed September 21, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, despotism, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/despotism/definitions/1327249>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "despotism" 23 October 2010. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/despotism/definitions/1327249> |