See despotism in Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus II
noun
A government in which a single leader or party exercises absolute control over all citizens and every aspect of their lives:
absolutism, autarchy, autocracy, dictatorship, monocracy, tyranny. See over, politicsA political doctrine advocating the principle of absolute rule:
absolutism, authoritarianism, autocracy, dictatorship, totalitarianism. See over, politicsAbsolute power, especially when exercised unjustly or cruelly:
autocracy, dictatorship, totalitarianism, tyranny. See over, politics
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