dictatorship
noun
dic·ta·tor·ship
dik-ˈtā-tər-ˌship 
ˈdik-ˌtā-
1
: the office of dictator
2
: autocratic rule, control, or leadership
people suffering under his dictatorship
3
a
: a form of government in which absolute power is concentrated in a dictator or a small clique
Communism and dictatorship
b
: a government organization or group in which absolute power is so concentrated
rising up against a military dictatorship
c
: a despotic state
establishing a dictatorship
Synonyms
Examples of dictatorship in a Sentence
The country suffered for many years under his dictatorship.
His enemies accused him of establishing a dictatorship.
Recent Examples on the Web
Once a civil society activist, Khun Bedu had been jailed by Myanmar’s military dictatorship.
—
Hannah Beech Adam Ferguson, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
But in a country haunted by the military dictatorship of 1964 to 1985, the rise of Bolsonaro, an open admirer of the regime, changed everything.
—Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
Instead, the war intensified, and Russia’s descent into dictatorship accelerated.
—Simon Shuster / Vilnius, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
The museum’s history section is straightforward, taking visitors through a chronology of events beginning with the early days of the communist regime in the 1940s and ending with the revolution that overthrew Ceaușescu’s dictatorship in 1989.
—Alice Popovici, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
Under the dictatorship, just twenty-five companies were allowed to make movies in Korea.
—Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Pakistani journalists adapt Pakistani media blossomed under the military dictatorship of Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who took control in a bloodless coup in October 1999.
—Hasan Ali, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Mar. 2024
The Middle East is plagued by problems: civil wars, dictatorships, terrorism, and deep anti-American sentiment, to name a few.
—Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 12 Mar. 2024
Critics have accused the president and his wife, vice president Rosario Murillo, of running the country as a dictatorship by violently suppressing opposition and inhibiting fair elections.
—Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024
Hannah Beech Adam Ferguson, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
But in a country haunted by the military dictatorship of 1964 to 1985, the rise of Bolsonaro, an open admirer of the regime, changed everything.
—Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
Instead, the war intensified, and Russia’s descent into dictatorship accelerated.
—Simon Shuster / Vilnius, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
The museum’s history section is straightforward, taking visitors through a chronology of events beginning with the early days of the communist regime in the 1940s and ending with the revolution that overthrew Ceaușescu’s dictatorship in 1989.
—Alice Popovici, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
Under the dictatorship, just twenty-five companies were allowed to make movies in Korea.
—Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Pakistani journalists adapt Pakistani media blossomed under the military dictatorship of Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who took control in a bloodless coup in October 1999.
—Hasan Ali, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Mar. 2024
The Middle East is plagued by problems: civil wars, dictatorships, terrorism, and deep anti-American sentiment, to name a few.
—Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 12 Mar. 2024
Critics have accused the president and his wife, vice president Rosario Murillo, of running the country as a dictatorship by violently suppressing opposition and inhibiting fair elections.
—Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dictatorship.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Dictatorship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dictatorship. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dictatorship
noun
dic·ta·tor·ship
dik-ˈtāt-ər-ˌship
ˈdik-ˌtāt-
1
: the office of a dictator
2
: rule, control, or leadership by one person with total power
3
: a government or country in which total power is held by a dictator or a small group
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