petty tyrant
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s just that when Ditka ruled as a petty tyrant, fans and the media too often celebrated his behavior as hard-nosed toughness or excused it with a smirk and a shrug.
From The Guardian • Jan. 3, 2019
But Savage is something much better: a petty tyrant who sees the entire zombie apocalypse as a challenge to his authority, until he finally cracks and becomes a chortling, expansive nihilist.
From The Verge • Sep. 24, 2017
There are few instances where Lou, the office's bad-tempered, petty tyrant, is worthy of anyone’s sympathy.
From New York Times • Apr. 3, 2015
“Sacco grants dignity to his subjects—the petty tyrant and the suffering victim alike—simply through the meticulousness with which he renders them,” Campbell Robertson wrote in July.
From Slate • Nov. 30, 2012
I had rather be the descendant of an honest man than of any petty tyrant of Italy.
From How to Succeed or, Stepping-Stones to Fame and Fortune by Marden, Orison Swett
