as in tyrant
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
the dictator had a fierce stranglehold on the country, keeping its people in poverty and ignorance
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Recent Examples of dictator
One depicts Putin being cradled in the arms of the Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
—
ABC News,
16 June 2026
Then in 1973, Nixon and Henry Kissinger, his secretary of state, plotted the overthrow of yet another democracy in Chile, propping up the brutal dictator Augusto Pinochet.
—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
One of the world’s most celebrated road trips owes its existence to a dictator’s obsession.
—
Mark Johanson,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 June 2026
The president’s controversial response to the article seemed to take aim at the column’s calls for order and authority, which Petro appeared to compare to the totalitarian regime under Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
—
Alfie Pannell,
Miami Herald,
8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for dictator
ABC News,
16 June 2026
Then in 1973, Nixon and Henry Kissinger, his secretary of state, plotted the overthrow of yet another democracy in Chile, propping up the brutal dictator Augusto Pinochet.
—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
One of the world’s most celebrated road trips owes its existence to a dictator’s obsession.
—
Mark Johanson,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 June 2026
The president’s controversial response to the article seemed to take aim at the column’s calls for order and authority, which Petro appeared to compare to the totalitarian regime under Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
—
Alfie Pannell,
Miami Herald,
8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for dictator
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictator
tyrant
Noun
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Aegon, dragged out of King’s Landing by spymaster Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) in an effort to save him from the fratricidal Aemond, gets an up-close look at the petty tyrants who have sprouted up in the countryside thanks to his impetuous rule.
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Examples range from businesses like Enron, Tyco, and Bernie Madoff, along with historical tyrants like Stalin or Hitler to modern figures like Putin, and industries like tobacco that knowingly harm users for profit.
Cite this Entry
“Dictator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictator. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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