dictatorship

American  

[dik-tey-ter-ship, dik-tey-] / dɪkˈteɪ tərˌʃɪp, ˈdɪk teɪ- /

noun

dictatorships plural

1. a country, government, or the form of government in which absolute power is exercised by a dictator.

2. absolute, imperious, or overbearing power or control.

3. the office or position held by a dictator.

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dictatorship British  

/ dɪkˈteɪtəˌʃɪp /

noun

1. the rank, office, or period of rule of a dictator

2. government by a dictator or dictators

3. a country ruled by a dictator or dictators

4. absolute or supreme power or authority

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dictatorship Cultural  

1. Government by a single person or by a junta or other group that is not responsible to the people or their elected representatives.

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Discover More

Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin were dictators.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dictatorships
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dictatorship

First recorded in 1580–90; dictator + -ship

Compare meaning

How does dictatorship compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• fascism vs. dictatorship
• autocracy vs. dictatorship
• totalitarianism vs. dictatorship

Explanation

A dictatorship is a government or a social situation where one person makes all the rules and decisions without input from anyone else. Dictatorship implies absolute power — one person who takes control — of a political situation, a family, a classroom or even a camping expedition. In government, a dictatorship leaves no room for input from anyone who is not the top guy or gal. The noun comes from the late 14th century Latin word, dictare, which means to "repeat or say often." In a dictatorship, one person keeps repeating the same command: "My way or the highway."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dictatorship dictatorships

“It was a dictatorship at the door,” Andy Warhol once quipped, “and a democracy on the floor.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

The legitimacy of Kim's dictatorship rests heavily on his "Mount Paektu" bloodline - a lineage tied to the mythical founder of the Korean people.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

The contemporary Falangist movement in Spain explicitly borrows its name and iconography from Francisco Franco’s dictatorship.

From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026

“Brazil was in the midst of the dictatorship; they had to somehow generate some sort of national pride,” says Ramos.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026

Any dictatorship takes a psychological toll on its subjects.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

“In 5,000 years, if you look back, there have been dictatorships, monarchies, autocrats, republics. Nothing is newer or more modern.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

But at the same time, even under the cruelest dictatorships, it has still managed to produce fine literature.

From Barron's ● May 21, 2026

There's a reason this protest streak runs so hot in South Korea, which only became a democracy in the late 1980s and is well-acquainted with political interference, dictatorships and military overreach.

From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026

Actual dictatorships are messy and chaotic, not the smooth, efficient states of the techno-fascist imagination.

From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2025

Consider: The United States has been instrumental in the overthrow of truly genocidal dictatorships.

From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• authoritarianism
• autocracy
• totalitarianism
• tyranny