dictatorship

noun

dic·​ta·​tor·​ship dik-ˈtā-tər-ˌship 

ˈdik-ˌtā-

1

: the office of dictator

2

: autocratic rule, control, or leadership

people suffering under his dictatorship

3

a

: a form of government in which absolute power is concentrated in a dictator or a small clique

… the statutory and constitutional constraints which distinguish a democracy from a dictatorship.

—Center for National Security Studies, et al. v. U.S. Dept. of Justice, 215 F.Supp.2d 94 (2002)

b

: a government organization or group in which absolute power is so concentrated

rising up against a military dictatorship

c

: a despotic state

establishing a dictatorship

Synonyms of dictatorship

• tyranny
• fascism
• autocracy
• despotism

Examples of dictatorship in a Sentence

The country suffered for many years under his dictatorship.

His enemies accused him of establishing a dictatorship.

Recent Examples on the Web

In those years many Latin American countries had repressive governments, military coups, dictatorships, and undeclared wars against the poor and the indigenous population, which were backed by the CIA in the context of the Cold War. — Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026

In Peru under dictatorship, two of three long-time lovers marry for appearances but flee from their conservative rural community for the capital after their secret is exposed by the third. — Katherine Brodsky, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026

International skullduggery in this case concerned the retrieving of two nuclear warheads from a treacherous Caribbean dictatorship. — Ed Olmstead, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026

The Struggle of an Unarmed People, chronicling the final year of socialist President Salvador Allende; the 1973 coup d’état which put General Augusto Pinochet in power, and resistance in the early days of the latter’s dictatorship. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

dictator + -ship, as translation of Latin dictātūra

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dictatorship

• apostleship
• apprenticeship
• assistantship
• championship
• chancellorship
• citizenship
• companionship
• copartnership
• directorship
• discipleship
• editorship
• generalship

Kids Definition

dictatorship

noun

dic·​ta·​tor·​ship dik-ˈtāt-ər-ˌship 

ˈdik-ˌtāt-

1

: the office of a dictator

2

: rule, control, or leadership by one person with total power

3

: a government or country in which total power is held by a dictator or a small group