Vocabulary
Tyranny
English and Urdu gloss, synonyms and antonyms, and example usage from our editorial sentence cache where available.
English meaning
cruel and oppressive government or rule.
Urdu meaning
ظلم، جابرانہ حکومت
Example sentences (from Dawn)
Sentences are selected from stored editorial text where your search word appears. If none appear yet, run the admin sentence generator for fuller coverage.
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`When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.
Dawn Editorials —
Power of the powerless
— 2026-05-02
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presented to mankind in semireligious trappings`.Prof Timothy Snyder, whose 2017 book On Tyranny listed 20 lessons from the 20th century, published a new book On Freedom last year.
Dawn Editorials —
A call to conscience
— 2026-04-10
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Tyranny is born of lies.In Pakistan, we see a pattern of increasing restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly.
Dawn Editorials —
A call to conscience
— 2026-04-10
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To understand the sources of tyranny, Snyder presents 20 lessons from the 20th century relating to the present circumstances.Lesson 1: `Anticipatory obedience is a political tragedy.` The principle of conformity prevails.
Dawn Editorials —
Protecting democratic ideals
— 2025-10-29
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You submit to tyranny when you renounce the difference between what you want to hear and what is actually the case,` says Snyder, adding how the fascists hated truth.Lesson 11: `Investigate,` says Snyder.
Dawn Editorials —
Protecting democratic ideals
— 2025-10-29
Synonyms
despotism, absolutism, absolute power, autocracy, dictatorship, undemocratic rule
Antonyms
democracy, liberality
Curator example
“refugees fleeing tyranny and oppression”
More vocabulary to explore
About this vocabulary section.
These entries support close reading of Dawn editorials and opinion pieces: short definitions,
Urdu equivalents where we have them, word relations, and—when generated—real lines from the editorial archive
so you can see tone and usage.
Common questions
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- No. Word pages are open to everyone. You can read meanings in English and Urdu, synonyms and antonyms, and example sentences without creating an account.
- Where do the example sentences come from?
- When available, example sentences are drawn from cached matches in our Dawn editorial corpus so you can see how a word is used in real newsroom-style prose.
- How is this different from a dictionary?
- This section is curated for students preparing for competitive exams and editorial reading. Entries are compact, often include Urdu glosses, and are paired with in-context lines from editorials when we have them.
