dictatorship
Americannoun
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a country, government, or the form of government in which absolute power is exercised by a dictator.
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absolute, imperious, or overbearing power or control.
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the office or position held by a dictator.
noun
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the rank, office, or period of rule of a dictator
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government by a dictator or dictators
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a country ruled by a dictator or dictators
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absolute or supreme power or authority
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Etymology
Origin of dictatorship
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How does dictatorship compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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."
Vocabulary lists containing dictatorship
You Can Say That Again: Dic and Dict
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Ancient Rome - Introductory
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President Trump's First Address to the United Nations General Assembly (2017)
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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.
Dictatorship, and resistance to it, are recurrent themes of Central America’s history.
From Washington Post • Aug. 23, 2022
They were found reading the book, From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation, by American writer Gene Sharp in 2015.
From BBC • Jul. 8, 2022
More than a week later, 500 copies of the book, "The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos", were sold within an hour of being posted online.
From Reuters • May 27, 2022
Dictatorship, however, starts to look a lot less attractive if it continues for any length of time.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 20, 2022
Six-Fingers, the chairman of the new Neighborhood Dictatorship Group, presided over them, wearing a red armband and an expression of importance.
From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang
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.
