Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
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.

The comments, broadcast nationwide in Cuba, are the first confirmation of bilateral talks between two governments that have been fierce adversaries for almost 70 years, since Fidel Castro’s revolution toppled the U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

The dictator opened a major party congress with a weapons display and a declaration of optimism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 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

Iraq was a state with deep sectarian divisions that was largely dominated by a single dictator: Saddam Hussein.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

Less than four years before, in November 1956, Castro and a force of eighty-one rebels had sailed from Mexico to Cuba, determined to retake their homeland from a corrupt dictator, Fulgencio Batista.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

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.