Spanish Conversation · Level 111
59 words
Spanish word
tirano
Pronunciation
IPA/tiˈɾano/
Meaning
- masculine nountyrant
Example
El rey era un tirano y gobernaba con mano dura.
The king was a tyrant and governed with a heavy hand.
More examples
Durante la revuelta, nadie quiso seguir al tirano.
During the uprising, nobody wanted to follow the tyrant.
Core concept
A ruler on a high balcony glaring down at a cowering crowd.
Common phrases
actuar como tirano
behave like a tyrant
acusar de ser tirano
accuse of being a tyrant
Similar words
dictador: Leader who governs a country with centralized, unchecked political control.
opresor: Powerholder who systematically deprives people of freedoms and causes them suffering.
autócrata: Ruler who governs alone free from institutional or legal constraints.
déspota: Ruler who behaves abusively and forces people to obey by arbitrary, unfair commands.
Definition in Spanish
Persona que gobierna con poder absoluto y abusa de él mediante la violencia, la intimidación o la injusticia.
Word origin
From Greek tyrannos via Latin tyrannus, originally naming an absolute ruler and later applied to sovereigns who govern by force and abuse.
Usage tips
- Tirano is a strong moral label in Spanish for leaders who abuse power, so use autoritario or severo for milder criticism.
Other meanings
- dictatornoun
- despotnoun
Opposites
- libertadorliberatornoun
Related words
- tiránicotyrannicaladjective
- tiraníatyrannynoun