dictator

[dik-tey-ter, dik-tey-ter]

noun

1. a person exercising absolute power, especially a ruler who has absolute, unrestricted control in a government without hereditary succession.

2. (in ancient Rome) a person invested with supreme authority during a crisis, the regular magistracy being subordinated to him until the crisis was met.

3. a person who authoritatively prescribes conduct, usage, etc..

   a dictator of fashion.

4. a person who dictates, as to a secretary.

dictator

/ dɪkˈteɪtə, dɪkˈteɪtrɪs, ˈdɪktətrɪks /

noun

1. 1. a ruler who is not effectively restricted by a constitution, laws, recognized opposition, etc

   2. an absolute, esp tyrannical, ruler

2. (in ancient Rome) a person appointed during a crisis to exercise supreme authority

3. a person who makes pronouncements, as on conduct, fashion, etc, which are regarded as authoritative

4. a person who behaves in an authoritarian or tyrannical manner

Other Word Forms

• dictatress noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dictator¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin dictātor, from dictā(re) “to say repeatedly, prescribe, order” ( dictate ) + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

The days when dictators could live in gilded exile with fortunes in secret Swiss bank accounts are mostly over, primarily because of global mechanisms for adjudicating human-rights abuses and tracking ill-gotten gains.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Hundreds of Spanish fascists marched through Madrid on Friday, a day after the country marked the 50th anniversary of divisive right-wing former dictator Francisco Franco's death.

Read more on Barron's

“Maybe 4 rather than 5. As a dictator he had many virtues in the long run, and that rates him higher in my estimation.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

If it fails, Myanmar faces economic ruin reminiscent of 1987, when dictator Ne Win voided all bank notes in denominations not divisible by his lucky number 9, wiping out citizens’ savings overnight.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Under dictator Francisco Franco, it oversaw a nationwide network of residential institutions managed by religious organisations.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• authoritarian 
• autocrat 
• commander 
• despot 
• totalitarian 
• tyrant