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:

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

Protesters shouted "Smells like a dictatorship", while police said some hurled bottles, fireworks and paint at officers as officers tried to take down the tents.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

He wound up fleeing to Spain, then in the grip of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship, and spent the rest of his life in Iberian exile.

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026

Some protesters carried red carnations, a symbol of Portugal's 1974 revolution, evoking the peaceful military-led uprising that ended nearly five decades of dictatorship.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

It is because he experienced repression under the military dictatorship imposed by the Kuomintang after Mao Zedong’s army drove the KMT government from the mainland.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Mami and Mrs. Washburn and Mrs. Mancini—in fact, the whole canasta group—are not about to let their kids grow up dumb brutos just because of a dictatorship.

From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez

“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

There's a reason this protest streak runs so hot in South Korea, which only became a democracy in the late 1980s and is well-acquainted with political interference, dictatorships and military overreach.

From BBC ● Feb. 22, 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

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

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Related Words

• authoritarianism
• autocracy
• totalitarianism
• tyranny

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