tyranny

== English == === Etymology === Inherited from Middle English tirannye, from Old French tyrannie, from Medieval Latin tyrannia, tyrania, from Ancient Greek τυραννία (turannía, “tyranny”), from τύραννος (túrannos, “lord, master, sovereign, tyrant”). === Pronunciation === (New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˈtərəni/ (Singapore) IPA(key): /ˈtirəni/ IPA(key): /ˈtɪɹəni/, (obsolete) /ˈtaɪɹəni/ (US) IPA(key): /ˈtɪəɹəni/ Rhymes: -ɪɹəni Hyphenation: tyr‧an‧ny === Noun === tyranny (countable and uncountable, plural tyrannies) A government in which a single ruler (a tyrant) has absolute power, or this system of government; especially, one that acts cruelly and unjustly. The office or jurisdiction of an absolute ruler. Absolute power, or its use. A system of government in which power is exercised on behalf of the ruler or ruling class, without regard to the wishes of the governed. Extreme severity or rigour. ==== Synonyms ==== (government): autocracy, despotism, dictatorship, absolute monarchy, tyranthood ==== Hyponyms ==== (government): absolute monarchy, benevolent absolutism, enlightened absolutism, enlightened despotism ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== === References === === Further reading === “tyranny”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “tyranny”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. “tyranny”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. == Middle English == === Noun === tyranny alternative form of tirannye