dictatorship

American  

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

noun

• dictatorships
  plural

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.

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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

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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.

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Discover More

Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin were dictators.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dictatorships
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of dictatorship

First recorded in 1580–90; dictator + -ship

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Compare meaning

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

• totalitarianism vs. dictatorship
• autocracy vs. dictatorship
• fascism vs. dictatorship

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Explanation

A dictatorship is a government or a social situation where one person makes all the rules and decisions without input from anyone else. Dictatorship implies absolute power — one person who takes control — of a political situation, a family, a classroom or even a camping expedition. In government, a dictatorship leaves no room for input from anyone who is not the top guy or gal. The noun comes from the late 14th century Latin word, dictare, which means to "repeat or say often." In a dictatorship, one person keeps repeating the same command: "My way or the highway."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dictatorship dictatorships

But for decades after Brazil’s military dictatorship ended in 1985, openly identifying with the right carried a stigma.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

"I just don't think they're ready yet. You know, it's very new. We took them out of a dictatorship, and we're getting along great with the government," he said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Starbucks quickly rolled it back, saying it was unintentional but civic groups filed a criminal complaint against the company, demanding the police investigate it for defaming victims of the military dictatorship.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

But his opinion quickly shifted, he says, once he witnessed how the children were treated, calling it a "dictatorship".

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

The Soviet Union controlled East Germany, where it installed a Communist government under a dictatorship.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

But at the same time, even under the cruelest dictatorships, it has still managed to produce fine literature.

From Barron's ● May 21, 2026

The Eritrean leader has ruled his country since it first gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993, and has since consolidated power to create one of the world’s most repressive dictatorships.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026

Mr Ahmed also said the OfS was "ready to act" to punish universities for not protecting academics and students from harassment and intimidation from foreign dictatorships.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2025

If books are an answer to dictatorships — and as strong as “an organization packed with spooks and paramilitaries who fought in warzones” — it would be inspiring to see more of that.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2025

And thanks at least in part to those technologies, we’re seeing the tentative spread of democratic institutions in areas that have lived for years under dictatorships or near-dictatorships.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

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Related Words

• authoritarianism
• autocracy
• totalitarianism
• tyranny

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