Thesaurus results for STRONGMEN

strongmen

noun

plural of strongman

as in dictators

a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way a Latin-American strongman who basically treated his nation's coffers as his personal bank account

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of strongmen The cross was not meant to be a stage prop for strongmen. — Otis Moss Iii, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026 Nor do strongmen have a pristine record as economic stewards. — Alaa Shahine Salha, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026 America does not belong to strongmen, greedy billionaires, or those who rule through fear. — Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 28 Mar. 2026 Latin America is swinging rightward again, electing presidents who promise to channel the strongmen of yore and rule the region through might, not right. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026 Just beyond the respectable edges of Paris, among the soothsayers and strongmen, works Suzanne (Anaïs Demoustier). — Ben Croll, IndieWire, 12 May 2026 In the vacuum left by absent landlords and ineffective courts, communities turned instead to local strongmen—enforcers who offered protection for a price. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 May 2026 With such a destructive geopolitical conflict driven by several strongmen leaders, the industry was always going to feel the ramifications. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026 Min Aung Hlaing’s ascent to the presidency follows a tradition of military strongmen installing themselves as the nation’s top leader and seeking to legitimize their rule through unfair elections. — ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for strongmen

Noun

Its flint-hearted ferocity was a return to what the dynasts of the past—warlords, kings, and dictators—would find routine.

— Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
Will people who flee dictators and endless poverty be permitted lawfully to cross America’s shores and borders in search of a better life?

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026

Definition of dictators

Noun

Aegon, dragged out of King’s Landing by spymaster Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) in an effort to save him from the fratricidal Aemond, gets an up-close look at the petty tyrants who have sprouted up in the countryside thanks to his impetuous rule.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 18 June 2026
Examples range from businesses like Enron, Tyco, and Bernie Madoff, along with historical tyrants like Stalin or Hitler to modern figures like Putin, and industries like tobacco that knowingly harm users for profit.

— Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026

Definition of tyrants

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strongman

strongmen

strong suit

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“Strongmen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strongmen. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of strongmen

noun

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