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despotic

Adjective
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Exercising absolute, tyrannical power without restraint; in poetry, describes ruthless rulers, oppressive fates, or harsh natural forces.

Detailed Definition
Despotic describes rule by a dictator or tyrant, with harsh and unchecked authority. In poetry, it often intensifies the sense of oppression or injustice.
Example
Example in poetry:
“I suffered at the hands of despotic rulers” uses despotic for tyrannical, arbitrary rule; A despot governs through unchecked power rather than consent or law; “The despotic father commanded silence at supper” extends the adjective to domestic authority; Contemporary political poetry may call a regime despotic while attending to the lives constrained beneath it
Additional Notes
"despotic" in the quoted line is a more specialized political adjective than everyday vocabulary.; Found in the poem, Song of Man by Kahlil Gibran
Also Known As
tyrannical oppressive authoritarian tyrannic
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