dictatorship

American  

[dik-tey-ter-ship, dik-tey-] / 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

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:

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

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

The ceremony was held at the presidential Blue House just months after Roh’s father, Roh Tae-woo, became South Korea’s first president after the collapse of the country’s military dictatorship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

But other defectors tell the BBC that despite the restrictions, K-pop has cut through in Kim Jong Un's stifling dictatorship.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Balliu told AFP his father kept all the property titles for the land confiscated by the communist regime, despite the risks posed by the former dictatorship for keeping such documents.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

The contemporary Falangist movement in Spain explicitly borrows its name and iconography from Francisco Franco’s dictatorship.

From Salon ● Jun. 7, 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

“In 5,000 years, if you look back, there have been dictatorships, monarchies, autocrats, republics. Nothing is newer or more modern.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

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 United Fruit Company owned over 550,000 acres of Guatemalan land, largely thanks to its deals with previous dictatorships.

From Salon ● Jan. 18, 2026

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

Related Words

• authoritarianism
• autocracy
• totalitarianism
• tyranny