dictator
noun
dic·ta·tor
ˈdik-ˌtā-tər 
dik-ˈtā-
1
a
: a person granted absolute emergency power
b
: one holding complete autocratic control : a person with unlimited governmental power
c
: one ruling in an absolute (see absolute sense 2) and often oppressive way
fascist dictators
2
: one who says or reads something for a person to transcribe or for a machine to record : one that dictates (see dictate entry 1 sense 1)
Synonyms
Examples of dictator in a Sentence
The country was ruled by a military dictator.
the dictator had a fierce stranglehold on the country, keeping its people in poverty and ignorance
Recent Examples on the Web
There will also be a look into Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s deadly, repressive regime (Antidote) and a doc about the daring rescue of animals trapped behind enemy lines in Ukraine, Checkpoint Zoo.
—
Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 17 Apr. 2024
Tourists wanted to learn about the history of communism, but the city did not have much to offer aside from tours of the Palace of Parliament, a sprawling complex commissioned by former dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu and constructed in the 1980s and ’90s.
—Alice Popovici, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
Russian involvement Previously Sudan's warring factions were allies that united after a massive people-power revolution in 2019 to overthrow longtime Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir.
—Kate Bartlett, NPR, 15 Apr. 2024
The dictator's aggressive tone shoots down any prospect of cooling tensions growing between North Korea, Japan, South Korea, and the U.S.
President Biden made an appeal Wednesday from the White House for Kim Jong Un to accept a Japanese proposal for international talks.
—Timothy H.j. Nerozzi Fox News, Fox News, 11 Apr. 2024
On the eve of independence, foreign meddling installed a leader who swiftly became a dictator.
—Gaiutra Bahadur Keisha Scarville, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Why dictators feel the need to stage an election is sometimes mysterious.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 5 Apr. 2024
This 'dictator on Day 1' hoax has done a number on the Democrats.
—Fox News, 4 Apr. 2024
The department had been sending trainers overseas under Gates’ predecessor to countries in crisis like the Dominican Republic, which erupted into civil war in the mid-1960s following the brutal reign of dictator Rafael Trujillo.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 17 Apr. 2024
Tourists wanted to learn about the history of communism, but the city did not have much to offer aside from tours of the Palace of Parliament, a sprawling complex commissioned by former dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu and constructed in the 1980s and ’90s.
—Alice Popovici, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
Russian involvement Previously Sudan's warring factions were allies that united after a massive people-power revolution in 2019 to overthrow longtime Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir.
—Kate Bartlett, NPR, 15 Apr. 2024
The dictator's aggressive tone shoots down any prospect of cooling tensions growing between North Korea, Japan, South Korea, and the U.S.
President Biden made an appeal Wednesday from the White House for Kim Jong Un to accept a Japanese proposal for international talks.
—Timothy H.j. Nerozzi Fox News, Fox News, 11 Apr. 2024
On the eve of independence, foreign meddling installed a leader who swiftly became a dictator.
—Gaiutra Bahadur Keisha Scarville, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Why dictators feel the need to stage an election is sometimes mysterious.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 5 Apr. 2024
This 'dictator on Day 1' hoax has done a number on the Democrats.
—Fox News, 4 Apr. 2024
The department had been sending trainers overseas under Gates’ predecessor to countries in crisis like the Dominican Republic, which erupted into civil war in the mid-1960s following the brutal reign of dictator Rafael Trujillo.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dictator.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near dictator
Cite this Entry
“Dictator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dictator. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dictator
noun
dic·ta·tor
ˈdik-ˌtāt-ər
dik-ˈtāt-ər
1
: a person who rules with total authority and often in a cruel or brutal manner
2
: one that dictates
dictatorial
adjective
ˌdik-tə-ˈtōr-ē-əl
-tȯr-
dictatorially
adverb
-ē-ə-lē
dictatorialness
noun
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