dictatorial

adjective

dic·​ta·​to·​ri·​al ˌdik-tə-ˈtȯr-ē-əl 

1

a

: of, relating to, or befitting a dictator

dictatorial power

b

: ruled by a dictator

2

: oppressive to or arrogantly overbearing toward others

dictatorially

ˌdik-tə-ˈtȯr-ē-ə-lē 

adverb

dictatorialness noun

Synonyms

• absolute
• arbitrary
• autocratic
• autocratical
• czarist
• tsarist
• tzarist
• despotic
• monocratic
• tyrannical
• tyrannic
• tyrannous

Choose the Right Synonym for dictatorial

dictatorial, magisterial, dogmatic, doctrinaire, oracular mean imposing one's will or opinions on others.

dictatorial stresses autocratic, high-handed methods and a domineering manner.

exercised dictatorial control over the office

magisterial stresses assumption or use of prerogatives appropriate to a magistrate or schoolmaster in forcing acceptance of one's opinions.

the magisterial tone of his pronouncements

dogmatic implies being unduly and offensively positive in laying down principles and expressing opinions.

dogmatic about what is art and what is not

doctrinaire implies a disposition to follow abstract theories in framing laws or policies affecting people.

a doctrinaire approach to improving the economy

oracular implies the manner of one who delivers opinions in cryptic phrases or with pompous dogmatism.

a designer who is the oracular voice of fashion

Examples of dictatorial in a Sentence

He was given dictatorial powers.

a dictatorial leader with total control over people's lives

Recent Examples on the Web

In an interview on Fox News, Trump’s reliable friend and promoter Sean Hannity offered the former President a chance to dismiss the growing public alarm over his dictatorial aspirations as just so much whinging by the liberal media. —Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2023

Creatives are particular targets of Iran’s dictatorial government whose uneven rule follows an extreme interpretation of the tenets of Islam. —Lily Moayeri, Spin, 8 Sep. 2023

Navalny has often lamented that Russians never mustered a sustained uprising against Putin’s dictatorial rule. —David M. Herszenhorn, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2023

The adventure tale follows a rebellious teenage squirrel who faces off against a dictatorial owl who has banned all music from his town. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Oct. 2023

Dressed in a traditional hanbok dress, Park urged the audience to support North Koreans suffering under the dictatorial rule of the Kim dynasty. —Will Sommer, Washington Post, 16 July 2023

And the idea that Jobim, in fighting not just to compose the album but to arrange and mastermind it, was acting like some sort of dictatorial guru is absurd. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Oct. 2023

Holding their nose at its dictatorial leadership, European countries have been courting Azerbaijan with zeal for its energy. —Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2023

There, his dictatorial regime pushed through social and economic reforms that ironically laid the foundation for today’s flourishing Taiwanese democracy. —Alexander V. Pantsov, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Latin dictātōrius "of a dictator" (derivative of dictātor dictator) + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1a