Meanings
- A surname from French
- The French Revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre, 1758–1794. Often used as a byword for a murderous demagogue or tyrant.
Why, Greeley wants to be blood-thirsty — he wants to be a little Robespierre.
1863, Edward Dicey, Spectator of America, Quadrangle, published 1971, page 252 more examples
"I am not, as you have seen, a Robespierre, and I don't even want to be thought of as a military dictator," said Col Gonatas, leader of the revolutionary movement, […]
1922 October 2, “Gonatas Not a Robespierre”, in Boston Daily Globe, archived from the original on 30 Jun 2013During communications blackouts when Allison, who was the Robespierre of the ship, forbade all outside contacts, Taggart lurched out onto the aft deck, […]
2007, Peter Heller, The Whale Warriors, →ISBN, page 64
Cite this entry
Robespierre. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Robespierre
“Robespierre.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Robespierre. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Robespierre,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Robespierre.
Source: Robespierre on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.