tyrant
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tyrant
- /ˈtaɪɹənt/ US, UK
Rhymes with -aɪɹənt
Where it comes from
From Middle English tyraunt, tiraunt, tyrant, tyrante, from Old French tyrant, from the addition of a terminal -t to tiran (cp. French tyran) via a back-formation related to the development of French present participles out of the Latin -ans form, from Latin tyrannus (“despot”), from Ancient Greek τύραννος (túrannos, “usurper, monarch, despot”), of uncertain origin.
noun tyrants · tyran
- A usurper; one who gains power and rules extralegally, distinguished from kings elevated by election or succession. To proue him Tyrant, this reason may suffice, That Henry liueth still.
- Any monarch or governor. Cassius... set tyrants over all Syria.
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A despot; a ruler who governs unjustly, cruelly, or harshly.
Tyrannes...be but Gods scourges which he will cast into the fyre when he hath done with them.
Similar: archon, basileus, aisymnetes, autocrat, dictator, despot, martinet
- Any person who abuses the power of position or office to treat others unjustly, cruelly, or harshly. A plague vpon the Tyrant that I serue
- A villain; a person or thing who uses strength or violence to treat others unjustly, cruelly, or harshly. I was a blasphemar, and a persecuter, and a tyraunt.
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The tyrant birds, members of the family Tyrannidae, which often fight or drive off other birds which approach their nests.
The Tyrant... The courage of this little Bird is singular.
Similar: tyrant bird, tyrant flycatcher, tyrant shrike, king bird, bee martin
adjective tyran
- Tyrannical, tyrannous; like, characteristic of, or in the manner of a tyrant. He was most tirant & cruell of all emperours.
verb tyrants · tyranting · tyranted · tyran
- To act like a tyrant; to be tyrannical. Let thy judgment be king, but not tyrant over it
- To tyrannize.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: autocrat, despot, tyranny, dictator, tyrannical, tyrannous, authoritarian, tsar, guardian, slayer, stern, bully, tirana, flycatcher, flycatchers, slayers
Translations
Every language
noun harsh and cruel ruler
| Español | tirano, tirana |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 참주 chamju, 폭군 pokgun |
| 日本語 | 暴君 bōkun |
| 中文 | 暴君 bàojūn, 暴主 bàozhǔ, 桀紂 /桀纣 jiézhòu |
| हिन्दी | अधिनायक adhināyak |
| Português | tirano, tirana |
| Français | tyran |
| Deutsch | Tyrann, Tyrannin |
| Italiano | tiranno, tiranna |
| Ελληνικά | τύραννος týrannos |
| Română | tiran, tirană |
| Русский | тира́н tirán, деспот despot, тиранка tiranka |
| Tiếng Việt | bạo chúa |
| العربية | طَاغِيَة ṭāḡiya |
Talk about this word "tyrant." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/tyrant. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. tyrant. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/tyrant "tyrant." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/tyrant.Cite this
@misc{tyrant_2026,
title = {tyrant},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/tyrant},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
