Noun: despotism 'de-spu,ti-zum
- A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution, laws or opposition etc.)
"The country suffered under a brutal despotism for decades";
- dictatorship, absolutism, authoritarianism, Caesarism, monocracy, one-man rule, shogunate, Stalinism, totalitarianism, tyranny
- Dominance through threat of punishment and violence
"The dictator's despotism crushed all opposition";
- absolutism, tyranny
Derived forms: despotisms
Type of: ascendance, ascendancy, ascendence, ascendency, autarchy, autocracy, control, dominance
Encyclopedia: Despotism