How to Use tyrannical in a Sentence

tyrannical

adjective
  • Everyone was afraid of their overbearing and tyrannical boss.
  • Tyrannosaurs may have been just as tyrannical as their name implies.
    — Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Dec. 2021
  • At the same time, the list of what a child needs has become exhaustive and tyrannical.
    — Literary Hub, 5 May 2026
  • Paul was not a tyrannical father pushing his son like a martinet.
    — Marcos Bretón, sacbee, 25 Sep. 2017
  • There’s something tyrannical about the one performance of a song that ends up on a record.
    — Mike Sacks, The New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2023
  • The Pharaoh is the denier, the negater, the tyrannical figure in us.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 23 Mar. 2021
  • The previous four were felled by either tyrants or tyrannical mobs.
    — Cameron Hilditch, National Review, 18 Sep. 2020
  • To try and raise someone’s consciousness too much is just as tyrannical as trying to hold it down.
    — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 13 Nov. 2023
  • In fact, the new tyrant is likely to be still more tyrannical than the predecessor.
    — John C. (chuck) Chalberg, Star Tribune, 3 July 2021
  • This sort of tyrannical behavior of course doesn't always go down well with people.
    — Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 7 July 2012
  • The tyrannical Skeletor is brought to life by Jared Leto.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Plus the aiding and abetting of other tyrannical leaders of rogue states.
    — Andy Meek, BGR, 7 Mar. 2022
  • If only there had been any way for the Jaguars to have seen any tyrannical behavior coming.
    — Mike Finger, San Antonio Express-News, 11 Dec. 2021
  • Now that’s someone who’ll shake up Alan Cumming’s tyrannical rule.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Odds were against them but those odds did not deter them from seeking freedom from the rule of what was a tyrannical government.
    — Arkansas Online, 18 Apr. 2021
  • This is the place that spawned tyrannical sushi masters and ramen bullies who make their staff and customers tremble with a glare.
    — Zoe Li, CNN, 2 May 2023
  • The Colbert episode did not prove that the agency is tyrannical or obsolete.
    — Jay Caruso, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
  • The right to bear arms against a tyrannical government is a fundamental right.
    — The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Feb. 2024
  • Such praise for silence in the face of tyrannical compulsion can be seen just as clearly in modern drama.
    — Matthew Mehan, WSJ, 9 Mar. 2018
  • As someone who dealt with overzealous RAs, thank you for shining a light on their tyrannical ways.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2026
  • From the start, Samantha seemed a willful child, in tyrannical need of attention.
    — Barbara Bradley Hagerty, The Atlantic, 16 May 2017
  • Woody and Buzz have survived sadistic neighbors, evil toys and tyrannical daycare rulers.
    — Rachel Hale, USA Today, 26 June 2026
  • The guards became mean and tyrannical, the prisoners sad, angry and withdrawn.
    — Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2024
  • Anorexia had become a tyrannical force in Karen’s psyche, telling her that food was an enemy to be fought.
    — Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2023
  • His tyrannical rule is tempered only by Robin Hood, with a little help from his band of merry men.
    — The Economist, 12 Mar. 2020
  • Rita Ora is also starring in the film as the tyrannical Queen of Hearts.
    — Zack Sharf, Variety, 22 Mar. 2023
  • The school is run by a tyrannical headmaster who shouldn’t be missed when his wife and mistress, a teacher at the school, join forces to plot his murder.
    — Brittany Delay, The Mercury News, 24 July 2024
  • The citizens of Venezuela don't deserve to live under the tyrannical rule of Maduro or any of his henchmen!
    — Suzanne Blake john Feng gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
  • The citizens of Venezuela don't deserve to live under the tyrannical rule of Maduro or any of his henchmen!
    — Dan Gooding gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
  • The citizens of Venezuela don’t deserve to live under the tyrannical rule of Maduro or any of his henchmen!
    — Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tyrannical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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