as in dictator
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
like some pharaoh of a third-world country, more interested in building monuments to himself than in creating a future for his people
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Recent Examples of pharaoh
Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton square off with appropriate intensity as Moses, who leads 600,000 Hebrew slaves on a perilous escape from Egypt, and his brother Ramses, the pharaoh who marshals his forces against him.
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Scott Tobias, Vulture, 20 Nov. 2024
The route of embalming, viewing, coffin, and burial, at this stage in history, can seem a bit too Egyptian pharaoh—comically false, a parade of pageantry and expense that only goes so far to mitigate the pain of loss.
—Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
Egyptian archaeologists recently found an ancient sword belonging to the military of Ramesses II, the pharaoh that scholars believe was referenced in the Book of Exodus.
—Andrea Vacchiano, Fox News, 19 Sep. 2024
In some cases, like the pharaohs of Egypt, leaders were viewed as having divine origins.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for pharaoh 
Scott Tobias, Vulture, 20 Nov. 2024
The route of embalming, viewing, coffin, and burial, at this stage in history, can seem a bit too Egyptian pharaoh—comically false, a parade of pageantry and expense that only goes so far to mitigate the pain of loss.
—Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
Egyptian archaeologists recently found an ancient sword belonging to the military of Ramesses II, the pharaoh that scholars believe was referenced in the Book of Exodus.
—Andrea Vacchiano, Fox News, 19 Sep. 2024
In some cases, like the pharaohs of Egypt, leaders were viewed as having divine origins.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for pharaoh
Thesaurus Entries Near pharaoh
Cite this Entry
“Pharaoh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pharaoh. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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