Meaning & use
usurper
A person who seizes a position of power or authority without legal right.
See it in a sentence
The soldiers proclaimed the general a usurper after he forced the king from his throne.
Historians still debate whether the young duke was a rightful heir or a usurper.
A note on using this word
Usurper carries a strongly negative judgment about the illegitimacy of a takeover; it is rarely used for a merely unpopular but lawful leader.
Words with a similar meaning
pretenderinterloper
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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