usurpation.

The taking of power, a position, or a right that properly belongs to someone else.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• usurpation of power
• usurpation of authority

On the page

The council described the decree as a usurpation of its authority.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Usually uncountable; no ordinary plural in this sense. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common.