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)
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
Through his interactions with Saddam, Nixon gains a deeper understanding of the Iraqi dictator, the potential consequences of the invasion, and the humanitarian and geopolitical turmoil that would ensue.
—
Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 30 Apr. 2025
The violence is stoking fears among Syria’s diverse ethnic and religious minorities who have grown increasingly worried about persecution under the rule of Syria’s new Islamist leaders, who overthrew the dictator Bashar al-Assad in December.
—Euan Ward, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Hosting an actual Latin American dictator in the Oval to discuss renditioning American citizens?
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
Trump has aligned with nations ruled by dictators once considered by the U.S. to be pariahs—Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele among them.
—Mark K. Updegrove, Time, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictator
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Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 30 Apr. 2025
The violence is stoking fears among Syria’s diverse ethnic and religious minorities who have grown increasingly worried about persecution under the rule of Syria’s new Islamist leaders, who overthrew the dictator Bashar al-Assad in December.
—Euan Ward, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Hosting an actual Latin American dictator in the Oval to discuss renditioning American citizens?
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
Trump has aligned with nations ruled by dictators once considered by the U.S. to be pariahs—Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele among them.
—Mark K. Updegrove, Time, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictator
Cite this Entry
“Dictator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dictator. Accessed 16 May. 2025.
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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