1. A form of government in which power rests with an absolute ruler or small group of rulers who exercise control through oppression and without constitutional or legal limitations
The country suffered under a despotic regime for decades.
O país sofreu sob um regime despótico por décadas.
2. An authoritarian system of rule characterized by tyranny, arbitrary exercise of power, and suppression of individual freedoms
Citizens lived in fear during the despotic regime.
Os cidadãos viviam com medo durante o regime despótico.