despotic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Francisco Franco had heir faces on stamps, currency, and coins during their respective despotic reigns.

From Slate • Dec. 20, 2025

Far from being despotic, Louis sought to be a constitutional monarch, with representative institutions that could mobilize consent and resources behind state policy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

Chimpanzees comfort each other when in distress, despite typically being referred to as "violent" and "despotic" when compared to other apes.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2025

Jefferson complained of “useless judges” and described the judiciary as “a despotic branch.”

From New York Times • May 22, 2023

Now I never had, as the reader knows, either given any formal promise or entered into any engagement; and this language was all much too hard and much too despotic for the occasion.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë