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
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.
Some in the business describe Janick, who’s married with three children, as a dictatorial boss unwilling to cede control to the execs leading the company’s various divisions.
From Los Angeles Times
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
The AAU’s dictatorial control forced athletes into penury and enriched its leaders.
How can such a playful fellow have dictatorial aspirations?!
From Los Angeles Times
Away from the praise and the bright lights, however, members of the congregation described Brain as "manipulative and dictatorial".
From BBC
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.
