Definition of "tyrant" []

• An absolute ruler who governs without restrictions. (noun)
• A ruler who exercises power in a harsh, cruel manner. (noun)
• An oppressive, harsh, arbitrary person. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Your Lordships will find that he never is a rebel to one party without being a tyrant to some others; that _rebel_ and _tyrant_ are correlative terms, when applied to him, and that they constantly go together."
• "Iraq is a prime example Wikipedia informs us that "like the term tyrant, originally a respectable Ancient Greek title, and to a lesser degree autocrat, it came to be used almost exclusively as a non-titular term for oppressive, even abusive rule, yet had rare modern titular uses.""
• "And, while the word "penance" does not appear in the 1611 Bible, in deference to the Puritans, neither does the word "tyrant", in deference to the king."