French Conversation · Level 62
76 words
French word
tyran
Pronunciation
IPA/tiʁɑ̃/
Meaning
- masculine nountyrant
Example
Le tyran a perdu le pouvoir.
The tyrant lost power.
More examples
Il se comporte en tyran avec ses proches.
He behaves like a tyrant toward those close to him.
Core concept
An unchecked leader who turns public power into personal domination and oppression.
Common phrases
se comporter en tyran
behave like a tyrant
un tyran cruel
a cruel tyrant
Similar words
dictateur: A leader who holds almost unchecked state power and restricts civil liberties.
despote: A ruler who governs by personal will and severely deprives people of freedom.
autocrate: A ruler who alone determines important matters and rejects others' opinions.
oppresseur: A person or group that abuses power to harm people's freedom or rights.
Definition in French
Personne qui exerce le pouvoir sans contrôle légal et opprime la population.
Word origin
French tyran descends from Greek tyrannos through Latin tyrannus, and its meaning shifted from an irregular ruler to a ruler characterized by oppression.
Usage tips
- In political reporting, tyran expresses moral condemnation rather than merely describing a system of one-person rule.
Other meanings
- dictatornoun
- despotnoun
Opposites
- libérateurliberatornoun
Related words
- tyranniquetyrannicaladjective
- tyrannietyrannynoun