potentate vs strongman

potentate and strongman both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
potentate	Yes	No	No	No
strongman	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, strongman is a hyponym of potentate; that is, strongman is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than potentate:

potentate: a ruler who is unconstrained by law
strongman: a powerful political figure who rules by the exercise of force or violence

Other hyponyms of potentate include shogun, autocrat, despot, tyrant.

potentate (noun)	strongman (noun)
a ruler who is unconstrained by law	a powerful political figure who rules by the exercise of force or violence
	a man who performs feats of strength at a fair or circus