A system of government in which the people have virtually no authority and the state wields absolute control, for example, a dictatorship.
A government in which a single ruler (a tyrant) has absolute power; this system of government.
The office or jurisdiction of an absolute ruler.
Extreme severity or rigour.
Absolute power, or its use.
A system of government in which power is exercised on behalf of the ruler or ruling class, without regard to the wishes of the governed.