Tyranny
Etymology
From Greek “tyrannos,” “absolute ruler,” a word of pre-Greek, uncertain origin. Crucially, it was not originally pejorative: a “tyrannos” was simply someone who seized power outside the normal constitutional channels, whether benevolent or brutal. The sense of cruelty was layered on later, as Greek writers came to fear one-man rule.
noun · /TEER-uh-nee/
Cruel, arbitrary, and unrestrained exercise of power, especially by a ruler who is bound by no law.
What it names
Reach for it to name rule that recognizes no limit on itself — where the ruler’s will is the only rule.
Example
Once the courts were packed and the press silenced, critics warned that tyranny was no longer a distant threat.
Related idea
Tyranny is unrestrained rule by will; authoritarianism names a system that concentrates power and demands obedience but may still operate through rules. The distinctive mark of tyranny is arbitrariness — you cannot know in advance what will be punished.