dictator

noun

dic·​ta·​tor ˈdik-ˌtā-tər 

dik-ˈtā-

1

a

: a person granted absolute emergency power

especially, history : one appointed by the senate (see senate sense 1b) of ancient Rome

b

: one holding complete autocratic control : a person with unlimited governmental power

c

: one ruling in an absolute (see absolute sense 2) and often oppressive way

fascist dictators

2

: one who says or reads something for a person to transcribe or for a machine to record : one that dictates (see dictate entry 1 sense 1)

Synonyms

• caesar
• despot
• führer
• fuehrer
• oppressor
• pharaoh
• strongman
• tyrannizer
• tyrant

Examples of dictator in a Sentence

The country was ruled by a military dictator.

the dictator had a fierce stranglehold on the country, keeping its people in poverty and ignorance

Recent Examples on the Web

His meetings with the Russian dictator last for hours. —Andrew Ryvkin, The Atlantic, 16 June 2025

The signs and costumes were the real show, ranging from clever wordplay and depictions of President Donald Trump as a dictator, to profane expressions calling for an end to ICE raids that had been conducted in the city for about a week prior. —R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025

The opposite is exactly what Republicans in Miami-Dade, the state and country are doing — kowtowing, supporting a dictator and failing to support citizens. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 June 2025

In the 20th century, the island was further sealed off by the paranoid regime of Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha, who turned it into a military bastion that was forbidden to civilians. —The Dial, 12 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English dictatour, borrowed from Latin dictātor, from dictāre "to say repeatedly, speak aloud words to be transcribed by another, issue as an order" + -tor, agent suffix — more at dictate entry 1

Note: Though formally a derivative of dictāre, the noun dictātor is attested perhaps two centuries earlier in Latin and may be an independent formation, though the model for it is not clear; the sense "issue as an order" of dictāre may reflect influence of dictātor. The form tictator used in the Old English translation of Orosius's Historiae Adversum Paganos had no subsequent use.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for dictator

• coater
• creator
• curator
• debater
• deflator
• dilator
• equator
• locator
• mutator
• piscator
• pronator
• relator

Kids Definition

dictator

noun

dic·​ta·​tor ˈdik-ˌtāt-ər 

dik-ˈtāt-ər

1

: a person who rules with total authority and often in a cruel or brutal manner

2

: one that dictates

dictatorial

ˌdik-tə-ˈtōr-ē-əl

-tȯr-

adjective

dictatorially

-ē-ə-lē

adverb

dictatorialness noun