tyranny Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)
absolutism; dictatorship; monocracy; Stalinism; shogunate; authoritarianism; despotism; one-man rule; Caesarism; totalitarianism.
noun dominance through threat of punishment and violence
absolutism; despotism.

OE. tirannye, OF. tirannie, F. tyrannie; cf. It. tirannia; Gr. , , L. tyrannis. See Tyrant.

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.
Cruel government or discipline; as, the tyranny of a schoolmaster.
Severity; rigor; inclemency.
The tyranny of the open night's too rough For nature to endure. Shak.