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Synonyms

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.

dictator British  
/ dɪkˈteɪtə, dɪkˈteɪtrɪs, ˈdɪktətrɪks /

noun

    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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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” ( dictate ) + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

Hitler was a relatively rare name in Germany even before the dictator came to fame.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

In Iraq, after a U.S. invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, sectarian leaders stepped into the vacuum.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2026

Khomeini, then 76, needed a new bolthole after being expelled from his exiled base in the Iraqi city of Najaf by the country's dictator Saddam Hussein.

From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026

This injustice rankled, and at that moment I saw Dr. Kerr less as a benefactor than as a not-altogether-benign dictator.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.