noun
despot
DESS-paht/ˈdespɑːt/
A ruler with unlimited power who often rules cruelly.
The despot orders a pleading civilian dragged away.
Etymology
Greek despotēs could name a household master or an absolute ruler. English developed the initially often neutral title into a term for rulers whose unchecked power makes them tyrants or oppressors.
In context
the despot is he who sets himself above the laws themselves thus the Tyrant cannot be a despot but the despot is always a tyrant
More examples
- A despot ruled the state without meaningful limits.
- The novel traced the downfall of a cruel despot.
- The ruler behaved like a despot toward his subjects.
Forms
despot · despots
despotic adjective — ruling with oppressive absolute power