Meaning & use
usurper
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Meaning
nouncountabledisapproving
A person who takes a position of power or authority without having the legal right to do so.
Grammar: Countable noun: a usurper, the usurper, usurpers.
Patterns
- usurper of something
- overthrow a usurper
The king was overthrown by a usurper who claimed the throne by force.
History remembers him as a usurper who ignored the lawful line of succession.
The usurper was eventually defeated and the rightful ruler restored.
Word forms
| plural | usurpers |
|---|
Common combinations
- accuse someone of being a usurper
- The nobles accused the general of being a usurper.
- overthrow a usurper
- The people rose up to overthrow the usurper.
- a usurper to the throne
- He was seen as a usurper to the throne.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pretender
- A pretender claims a title, often without actually holding power; a usurper usually succeeds in seizing power.
- tyrant
- A tyrant rules cruelly, whether legally or not; a usurper specifically takes power illegally.
Opposites
Word family
- usurp verb
- To take power or a position illegally.
- usurpation noun
- The act of taking power illegally.
Commonly confused: usurper or usurer?
usurper vs usurer
A usurer lends money at excessive interest; a usurper seizes power.
Practice
The army general was condemned as a ______ after he dissolved the parliament and declared himself president.
Choose one answer.
Usurper fits because the general took power illegally. A usurer lends money at high interest; a usufructuary has a right to use property; a successor lawfully follows someone in office.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “usurper”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.