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 of dictator

• 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

The absurdities and tragedies of daily life in dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu’s Romania roar from the page in Oana Aristide’s irresistible debut. — Monitor Reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Aug. 2026

Anthony Hopkins has played villains and popes, presidents and dictators, titans of literature and comic book kings. — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026

Trump plans to revive talks over North Korea’s nuclear program and wants to meet with the pariah state’s dictator this year, The Wall Street Journal reported. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Israel has carried out raids and strikes on Syrian territory since al-Assad, Syria's longtime dictator, was ousted in December 2024. — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026

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

• creator
• curator
• debater
• deflator
• dilator
• equator
• locator
• piscator
• pronator
• relator
• rotator
• testator

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