# tyranny

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈtərəni/ · frequency rank #14,659

## Definitions
1. A government in which a single ruler (a tyrant) has absolute power, or this system of government; especially, one that acts cruelly and unjustly.
2. The office or jurisdiction of an absolute ruler.
3. Absolute power, or its use.
4. A system of government in which power is exercised on behalf of the ruler or ruling class, without regard to the wishes of the governed.
5. Extreme severity or rigour.

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English tirannye, from Old French tyrannie, from Medieval Latin tyrannia, tyrania, from Ancient Greek τυραννία (turannía, “tyranny”), from τύραννος (túrannos, “lord, master, sovereign, tyrant”).

## Easily confused with
- **tyrant** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tyranny-vs-tyrant)
- **tranny** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tranny-vs-tyranny)

## Common misspellings (10)
`tryanny`, `ttyranny`, `tyarnny`, `tyrannyy`, `tyrany`, `tyranyn`, `tyrnany`, `tyrranny`, `tyyranny`, `ytranny`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/tyranny