Meaning of "tyrant" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD TYRANT

From Old French tyrant, from Latin tyrannus, from Greek turannos.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF TYRANT

tyrant  [ˈtaɪrənt]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF TYRANT

Tyrant is a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES TYRANT MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Tyrant

A tyrant, in its modern English usage, is a ruler of a horrible and oppressive character who is an absolute ruler unrestrained by law or constitution, and/or one who has usurped legitimate sovereignty. A tyrant usually controls almost everything. The original Greek term, however, merely meant an authoritarian sovereign without reference to character, bearing no pejorative connotation during the Archaic and early Classical periods, though it was clearly a bad word to Plato, and on account of the decisive influence of political philosophy its negative connotations only increased down into the Hellenistic period. Plato and Aristotle define a tyrant as, "one who rules without law, looks to his own advantage rather than that of his subjects, and uses extreme and cruel tactics—against his own people as well as others". During the seventh and sixth centuries BC, tyranny was often looked upon as an intermediate stage between narrow oligarchy and more democratic forms of polity. However, in the late fifth and fourth centuries, a new kind of tyrant, the military dictator, arose, specifically in Sicily.

Definition of tyrant in the English dictionary

The first definition of tyrant in the dictionary is a person who governs oppressively, unjustly, and arbitrarily; despot. Other definition of tyrant is any person who exercises authority in a tyrannical manner. Tyrant is also anything that exercises tyrannical influence.

SYNONYMS OF «TYRANT»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «tyrant» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of tyrant

absolutist · authoritarian · autocrat · Big Brother · bully · control freak · despot · dictator · Hitler · martinet · oppressor · slave-driver

TRANSLATION OF TYRANT

Find out the translation of tyrant to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of tyrant from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «tyrant» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 暴君
• Translator English - Spanish: tirano
• English: tyrant
• Translator English - Hindi: तानाशाह
• Translator English - Arabic: طاغية
• Translator English - Russian: тиран
• Translator English - Portuguese: tirano
• Translator English - Bengali: অত্যাচারী
• Translator English - French: tyran
• Translator English - Malay: Tiran
• Translator English - German: Tyrann
• Translator English - Japanese: 暴君
• Translator English - Korean: 폭군
• Translator English - Javanese: Tyrant
• Translator English - Vietnamese: nhà chuyên chế
• Translator English - Tamil: கொடுங்கோலன்
• Translator English - Marathi: जुलमी राजा
• Translator English - Turkish: tiran
• Translator English - Italian: tiranno
• Translator English - Polish: tyranem
• Translator English - Ukrainian: тиран
• Translator English - Romanian: tiran
• Translator English - Greek: τύραννος
• Translator English - Afrikaans: tiran
• Translator English - Swedish: tyrann
• Translator English - Norwegian: tyrann

10 QUOTES WITH «TYRANT»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word tyrant.

1

John Adams

The right of a nation to kill a tyrant in case of necessity can no more be doubted than to hang a robber, or kill a flea.

2

John Avlon

It's important to remember that Bush Derangement Syndrome on the left - comparing him to Hitler, calling him a terrorist and a tyrant - preceded Obama Derangement Syndrome on the right.

3

Emily Bronte

The tyrant grinds down his slaves and they don't turn against him, they crush those beneath them.

4

Emile M. Cioran

The fanatic is incorruptible: if he kills for an idea, he can just as well get himself killed for one; in either case, tyrant or martyr, he is a monster.

5

Georges Clemenceau

A collective tyrant, spread over the length and breadth of the land, is no more acceptable than a single tyrant ensconced on his throne.

6

Pierre Corneille

Love is a tyrant sparing none.

7

Philip K. Dick

This, to me, is the ultimately heroic trait of ordinary people; they say no to the tyrant and they calmly take the consequences of this resistance.

8

Douglas Feith

It was known in the mid 90s already that Saddam Hussein was a dangerous tyrant that he had already launched aggressions against Iran, he had invaded Kuwait.

9

Friedrich August von Hayek

Perhaps the fact that we have seen millions voting themselves into complete dependence on a tyrant has made our generation understand that to choose one's government is not necessarily to secure freedom.

10

Karen Hughes

I can't imagine anyone who doesn't think the world is safer without a tyrant who murdered his own people, used weapons of mass destruction against them and flouted the world for so many years.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «TYRANT»

Discover the use of tyrant in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to tyrant and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Tyrant

Sicily 412 BC: the infinite duel between a man and a superpower begins. The man is Dionysius, who has just made himself Tyrant of Syracuse. The superpower Carthage, mercantile megalopolis and mistress of the seas.

Valerio Massimo Manfredi, 2011

Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish ...

When bad bosses run amok in companies, nobody wins. This book shows readers how to build positive relationships with even the most out-of-control boss, and still thrive in your job.

Lynn Taylor, 2009

Tyrannosaurus Rex, the Tyrant King

A treasure trove of information about the most famous dinosaur of allwith a supplementary CD-ROM

Peter L. Larson, Kenneth Carpenter, 2008

Tyrant Memory

The tyrant of the book is the actual pro-Nazi mystic Maximiliano Hernández Martínez, known as the Warlock, who came to power in El Salvador in 1932.

Horacio Castellanos Moya, 2011

The Tyrant's Law: Book 3 of the Dagger and the Coin

Return to the critically acclaimed epic series by master storyteller Daniel Abraham, the Dagger and the Coin.

Daniel Abraham, 2013

Dictator's Handbook: A Practical Manual for the Aspiring Tyrant

Beautifully illustrated by a professional artist, the text is funny and deadly serious. This is truly a practical manual for the aspiring tyrant.

Randall Wood, Carmine DeLuca, 2012

Milosevic: Portrait of a Tyrant

Who is Slobodan Milosevic?

Dusko Doder, Louise Branson, 1999

Milosevic: The People's Tyrant

A revealing portrait of the Balkan dictator notes his early life, his role as the successor to Tito, and the victimization of his people, offering a disturbing psychological profile while describing the factors that shaped his career.

Vidosav Stevanovic, Trude Johansson, 2004

Julius Caesar: Man, Soldier, and Tyrant

This text covers Caesar's rise to power, and deals in detail with his campaign in Gaul.

J. F. C. Fuller, 1998

The Tyrant

If the corrupt Empire ruling most of planet Hafardine falls, so will the last remnants of civilization left behind when galactic civilization collapsed long ago. Only two men see the coming disaster, and have a plan to save the future.

Eric Flint, David Drake, 2002

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «TYRANT»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term tyrant is used in the context of the following news items.

'Tyrant' Season 2 Premiere Ratings Jump FX-Best In Live+3

The Season 2 premiere of Tyrant last week showed its time-shifting chops on FX, with the episode posting the highest Live+ Same Day to Live+3 lift of any FX ... «Deadline, Jun 15»

TV Review: 'Tyrant,' Season 2

The quagmire of the Middle East appeared to engulf the first season of “Tyrant,” an FX drama that dropped an expatriate and his absurdly dense American family ... «Variety, Jun 15»

'Tyrant' Season 2 Trailer: “Blood Guarantees Nothing” Bad News For …

FX has dropped the Season 2 trailer for Tyrant, the Middle East-set drama that was renewed back in the fall, increasing its order from 10 episodes in Season 1 to ... «Deadline, May 15»

FX Sets Summer Premiere Dates for 'Married', 'Tyrant' & More

LOS ANGELES, April 8, 2015 – FX is turning up the heat this summer with the series premiere of Denis Leary's new comedy Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, the second ... «TVbytheNumbers, Apr 15»

A Chinese company 3D printed a car using 'Tyrant Gold' filament

The car, which travels at 40km/h (25 mph), is created in "Tyrant Gold" filament, making it the perfect accessory for any extravagant ruler who enjoys some bling ... «Mashable, Mar 15»

King, Tyrant, Beheaded Traitor: The Many Trials Of Charles I

In 1642, England became a country torn apart by civil war. Tens of thousands would die as King Charles I and his royalist supporters battled Parliament and its ... «NPR, Feb 15»

John Cleese blames his problems with women on 'tyrant' late mother

John Cleese has blamed his “tyrant” late mother for his years of therapy and problems with women. The comedian, 74, who married his fourth wife Jennifer ... «The Independent, Sep 14»

FX's 'Tyrant' Renewed For Second Season

For cable series, the run is often not a sprint but a marathon, and FX's freshman drama Tyrant proved that in a major way. The cable network has given a ... «Deadline.com, Sep 14»

'Tyrant' Season 1 Finale Review – Not Far Enough

After 10 episodes of Tyrant, it was not the plodding nature of the show, the ultra minimalist performance of its lead, or the children who were used only as plot ... «Screen Rant, Aug 14»

Erdogan repeats: Sisi is a 'tyrant', Egypt responds

When asked if he still stands by his previous comment that Sisi was an "illegitimate tyrant", Erdogan said: "Well, he is right now a tyrant, I don't have any doubts ... «Al-Arabiya, Jul 14»