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tirannia

tyranny

noun tee-RAHN-nyah Rare

Origin: Greek tyrannia, via Latin tyrannia

Also means

despotism

Usage Note

Tirannia is feminine (la tirannia). It refers to oppressive, absolute rule or to any abuse of power: vivere sotto la tirannia ('to live under tyranny'). The agent noun is tiranno (m) / tiranna (f) ('tyrant'). The adjective is tirannico. Do not confuse with dittatura ('dictatorship'), which is a more specific political term.

Examples

"Il popolo si ribellò alla tirannia del re."

Natural Translation

The people rebelled against the king's tyranny.

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