Cambridge Dictionaries online Cambridge Dictionaries online

The most popular online dictionary and thesaurus for learners of English

  

tyranny

noun [U]
 
 
/ˈtɪr.ən.i/

Definition

government by a ruler or small group of people who have unlimited power over the people in their country or state and use it unfairly and cruelly: This, the president promised us, was a war against tyranny.Systems of government a situation in which someone or something controls how you are able to live, in an unfair way: Women, the play seems to suggest, must resist the tyranny of domesticity.Treating people or animals badlyInsults and abuseUnkind, cruel and unfeelingViolent or aggressiveLack of freedom to act
(Definition of tyranny noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)
Focus on the pronunciation of tyranny