Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Relating to or characteristic of an autocrat; absolute in power or authority: Describes a ruler, government, or system where one person possesses unlimited power and makes decisions without consulting others.
   • Domineering or dictatorial in manner: Describes a person who behaves in an offensively self-assured way, expecting unquestioning obedience from others.

Usage and Examples

• Describing a system or rule:

  • The country was under autocratic rule for decades.
  • An autocratic regime often suppresses political dissent.

• Describing a person's behavior or character:

  • The manager's autocratic style made the employees fearful.
  • She has an autocratic way of dealing with her subordinates.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• "autocratic power": power that is concentrated and absolute.

  • The king wielded autocratic power over all matters of state.

• "autocratic leadership": a leadership style where one individual controls all decisions.

  • The project failed due to the CEO's autocratic leadership, which stifled team input.

Variants and Related Words

• Autocrat (noun): A ruler who has absolute power.

  • The autocrat refused to listen to the people's demands.

• Autocracy (noun): A system of government by one person with absolute power.

  • The nation transitioned from an autocracy to a democracy.

Synonyms

• Dictatorial: Suggesting the absolute, often oppressive, power of a dictator.
• Despotic: Exercising power in a cruel or oppressive way.
• Tyrannical: Unjustly cruel, harsh, or severe; characteristic of a tyrant.
• Authoritarian: Favoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom.
• Domineering: Asserting one's will over another in an arrogant way.

Antonyms

• Democratic: Relating to or supporting democracy, where power is held by the people.
• Egalitarian: Believing in or based on the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights.
• Collaborative: Produced or conducted by two or more parties working together.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "to rule with an autocratic hand": to govern or manage in a domineering, absolute manner.
  • The founder ruled the company with an autocratic hand, leaving no room for debate.

Adjective

1. characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule; having absolute sovereignty
   • an authoritarian regime
   • autocratic government
   • despotic rulers
   • a dictatorial rule that lasted for the duration of the war
   • a tyrannical government
2. offensively self-assured or given to exercising usually unwarranted power
   • an autocratic person
   • autocratic behavior
   • a bossy way of ordering others around
   • a rather aggressive and dominating character
   • managed the employees in an aloof magisterial way
   • a swaggering peremptory manner