Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for dictatorship. Search instead for Legislatorship.
Synonyms

dictatorship

American  
[dik-tey-ter-ship, dik-tey-] / dɪkˈteɪ tərˌʃɪp, ˈdɪk teɪ- /

noun

  1. a country, government, or the form of government in which absolute power is exercised by a dictator.

  2. absolute, imperious, or overbearing power or control.

  3. the office or position held by a dictator.

dictatorship British  
/ dɪkˈteɪtəˌʃɪp /

noun

  1. the rank, office, or period of rule of a dictator

  2. government by a dictator or dictators

  3. a country ruled by a dictator or dictators

  4. absolute or supreme power or authority

"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
dictatorship Cultural  

  1. Government by a single person or by a junta or other group that is not responsible to the people or their elected representatives.

Discover More

Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin were dictators.

Etymology

Origin of dictatorship

First recorded in 1580–90; dictator + -ship

Compare meaning

How does dictatorship compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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.

In almost every movie about life under a dictatorship, there is a scene where the security services order someone to “show me your papers.”

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026

“This new republic had more continuity than novelty, since many politicians who were central to the dictatorship moved to central roles in the democratic government,” explains Gasparotto.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

US forces use the Rota naval base and Moron air base in southern Spain under an agreement signed in 1953 under the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

Inside the ornate former presidential palace, photographs and oral testimony detail the grinding poverty and ingrained corruption of the dictatorship of Cuba's then-military strongman, Fulgencio Batista.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

I would have consented to live under the most rigid type of dictatorship, for I felt that dictatorships, too, defined the use of men, however degrading that use might be.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

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.