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
America preached democracy while supporting some of the most brutal dictators in the region.
—
Shadi Hamid, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
Both men were leaders of a counterinsurgency against an uprising in the region, a conflict that in 2005 led to the longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir becoming the world’s first sitting leader to be indicted by the International Criminal Court on suspicion of genocide.
—Sara Monetta, NBC news, 1 Nov. 2025
Tice disappeared in Syria two months after setting off to cover the country’s crippling civil war, sparking a 13-year mystery that has tortured his Texan family and plagued Washington’s relationship with Syria’s brutal former dictator, Bashar al-Assad.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
That country fought back harder than the Russian dictator predicted, resulting in a quagmire that over time has weakened Putin.
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictator
Shadi Hamid, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
Both men were leaders of a counterinsurgency against an uprising in the region, a conflict that in 2005 led to the longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir becoming the world’s first sitting leader to be indicted by the International Criminal Court on suspicion of genocide.
—Sara Monetta, NBC news, 1 Nov. 2025
Tice disappeared in Syria two months after setting off to cover the country’s crippling civil war, sparking a 13-year mystery that has tortured his Texan family and plagued Washington’s relationship with Syria’s brutal former dictator, Bashar al-Assad.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
That country fought back harder than the Russian dictator predicted, resulting in a quagmire that over time has weakened Putin.
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictator
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictator
tyrant
Noun
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Knowing that the tyrants in the Kremlin approved all these activities does not negate their positive impact on American society.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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Although Pancho Villa was considered by many Mexicans a hero of that revolution, my great-grandfather regarded him as a tyrant who forced Indigenous people into battle, treating them as little more than cannon fodder.—
jsonline.com,
jsonline.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dictator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictator. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.
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