dictatorial
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to a dictator or dictatorship.
-
appropriate to, or characteristic of, a dictator; absolute; unlimited.
dictatorial powers in wartime.
- Synonyms:
- totalitarian
-
inclined to dictate or command; imperious; overbearing.
a dictatorial attitude.
- Synonyms:
- autocratic, tyrannical, despotic
adjective
-
of or characteristic of a dictator
-
tending to dictate; tyrannical; overbearing
Other Word Forms
- dictatorially adverb
- dictatorialness noun
- nondictatorial adjective
- nondictatorially adverb
- nondictatorialness noun
- semidictatorial adjective
- semidictatorially adverb
- semidictatorialness noun
- undictatorial adjective
- undictatorially adverb
Etymology
Origin of dictatorial
First recorded in 1695–1705; from Latin dictātōri(us) (from dictā(re) “to say repeatedly, order, prescribe” + -tōrius -tory 1 ) + -al 1
Vocabulary lists containing dictatorial
Gene Wilder (1933-2016) Tribute List
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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.
For posing a threat to British economic interests, he was overthrown and Britain and the US threw their weight behind the increasingly dictatorial Shah.
From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026
Newsom said the arrest was "outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful."
From Salon • Jun. 12, 2025
The AAU’s dictatorial control forced athletes into penury and enriched its leaders.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2025
A Guardian profile from last November notes that the Collinses now appear to be planning a dictatorial city-state for an anonymous wealthy donor, without at all mentioning that their Project Eureka has gone nowhere.
From Slate • Feb. 6, 2025
But the eat-sleep routine I had begun in the hospital, and kept up under Mother’s dictatorial command, got the better of me.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
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.
