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Full Definition of DESPOTISM. 1. a: rule by a despot b: despotic exercise of power. 2. a: a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power: absolutism b: a despotic state.
A king may become a tyrant, although legitimate, when he acts despotically; while a usurper may cease to be a tyrant by governing according to the dictates of justice. 3. This term is sometimes applied to persons in authority who violate the laws and act arbitrarily towards others. Vide Despotism.