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tyranny - 4 dictionary results

tyr⋅an⋅ny

  [tir-uh-nee]
Use tyranny in a Sentence
–noun, plural -nies.
1. arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power; despotic abuse of authority.
2. the government or rule of a tyrant or absolute ruler.
3. a state ruled by a tyrant or absolute ruler.
4. oppressive or unjustly severe government on the part of any ruler.
5. undue severity or harshness.
6. a tyrannical act or proceeding.
Origin:
1325–75; ME tyrannie < OF < ML tyrannia, equiv. to L tyrann(us) tyrant + -ia -y 3

Synonyms:
1. despotism, absolutism, dictatorship.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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tyr·an·ny   (tĭr'ə-nē)   
n.   pl. tyr·an·nies
  1. A government in which a single ruler is vested with absolute power.
  2. The office, authority, or jurisdiction of an absolute ruler.
  3. Absolute power, especially when exercised unjustly or cruelly: "I have sworn . . . eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man" (Thomas Jefferson).
    1. Use of absolute power.
    2. A tyrannical act.
  5. Extreme harshness or severity; rigor.

[Middle English tyrannie, from Old French, from Late Latin tyrannia, from Greek turanniā, from turannos, tyrant.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Tyranny

Tyr"an*ny\, n. [OE. tirannye, OF. tirannie, F. tyrannie; cf. It. tirannia; Gr. ?, ?, L. tyrannis. See Tyrant.]

1. The government or authority of a tyrant; a country governed by an absolute ruler; hence, arbitrary or despotic exercise of power; exercise of power over subjects and others with a rigor not authorized by law or justice, or not requisite for the purposes of government.

"Sir," would he [Seneca] say, "an emperor mote need Be virtuous and hate tyranny." --Chaucer.

2. Cruel government or discipline; as, the tyranny of a schoolmaster.

3. Severity; rigor; inclemency.

The tyranny of the open night's too rough For nature to endure. --Shak.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : tyranny
Spanish: tiranía,
German: die Tyrannei,
Japanese: 専制政治
More Translations »

tyranny 
c.1368, "cruel or unjust use of power," from O.Fr. tyrannie (13c.), from L.L. tyrannia "tyranny," from Gk. tyrannia "rule of a tyrant," from tyrannos "master" (see tyrant). Tyrannize is first attested 1494, from M.Fr. tyranniser (14c.); tyrannical was formed 1538 (tyrannic was used in this sense from 1491).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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