A ruler or leader who has complete power and authority over a country or group, making decisions without consulting others or following laws.
From Greek autos (self) + kratos (power). The term has been used since ancient times to describe absolute rulers, particularly applied historically to Russian Tsars and Byzantine emperors.
Russian Tsars actually took the title 'Autocrat of All the Russias' literally and seriously—they believed they held power directly from God and answered to no one, which is why Russians eventually got so frustrated they created the world's first communist revolution.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.