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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

despot

/ˈdɛs.pət/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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What does despot mean?

noun

  1. A ruler with absolute power; a tyrant.
More meanings (1)

noun

  1. (historical) A title awarded to senior members of the imperial family in the late Byzantine Empire, and claimed by various independent or semi-autonomous rulers in the Balkans (12th to 15th centuries)

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈdɛs.pət/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

The theorists, who claimed to effect it, had a power in their hands greater than that of any despot.
Gustave Le BonThe Psychology of RevolutionProject Gutenberg ebook #448
With sullen anger the despot entered the tea-room, but a sight waited him there which completely restored his humour.
Kakuzo OkakuraThe Book of TeaProject Gutenberg ebook #769
More book examples (3)
And does not the slave system, by denying the slave all legal right of testimony, make every individual owner an irresponsible despot?
Harriet Beecher StoweUncle Tom's CabinProject Gutenberg ebook #203
Sin is an exacting despot who can be vanquished by no created power, but by the sovereign power of Jesus Christ alone.
Martin LutherCommentary on the Epistle to the GalatiansTranslated by Theodore GraebnerProject Gutenberg ebook #1549
In all this affair the language of Jackson has been that of a heartless despot, solely occupied with the preservation of his own authority.
Alexis de TocquevilleDemocracy in America — Volume 1Translated by Henry ReeveProject Gutenberg ebook #815