dictator

American  

[dik-tey-ter, dik-tey-ter] / ˈdɪk teɪ tər, dɪkˈteɪ tər /

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.

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dictator British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• dictatress
  noun

Etymology

Origin of dictator

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

Explanation

A dictator is someone who has absolute power — or who at least behaves as if they do by bossing others around. In government, a dictator is a ruler who has total control over a country, with no checks or balances to prevent abuse of power. Dictator can also describe someone who acts like that on a smaller scale. When your sister is getting married and your mom makes her order roses instead lilies for the table arrangements and yells at you for addressing the invitations too slowly and insists that all of her coworkers be invited, she’s acting like a dictator.

Example Sentences

“The House of the Spirits” spans half a century, including the coup that replaced a socialist president with a military dictator, based on Salvador Allende and Augusto Pinochet, respectively, though neither are ever named.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

They are Mao Zedong, the long-deceased dictator who founded the People's Republic of China, and presided over some of the most traumatic chapters in China's recent history.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

The U.S. cooperated with Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, who offered military bases during the Cold War.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

Moammar Gadhafi, the Libyan dictator, agreed in 2004 to turn over his nuclear-bomb-making material, Phoenix Air was sent to Tripoli to retrieve it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

I’m not really sure what a dictator does.

From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

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