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)
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
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
The tournament came in the midst of a military dictatorship in Argentina, also called the Dirty War.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 6 Feb. 2026
Written by Davies’s older brother, Wale, the film follows two young brothers during Nigeria’s 1993 Presidential election, which offered hope for democracy after a decade of military dictatorship.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026
Confronting one of the darkest chapters in Argentina’s history, the 1985 play by Eduardo Pavlovsky, a psychotherapist, writer and actor, is about a man caught up in the systematic kidnapping of children during a military dictatorship.
—Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 5 Feb. 2026
The problem for Cuba’s dictatorship, more than the oil needed to keep homes lit, will be lack of diesel to keep the economy moving.
—Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dictatorship
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Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 6 Feb. 2026
Written by Davies’s older brother, Wale, the film follows two young brothers during Nigeria’s 1993 Presidential election, which offered hope for democracy after a decade of military dictatorship.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026
Confronting one of the darkest chapters in Argentina’s history, the 1985 play by Eduardo Pavlovsky, a psychotherapist, writer and actor, is about a man caught up in the systematic kidnapping of children during a military dictatorship.
—Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 5 Feb. 2026
The problem for Cuba’s dictatorship, more than the oil needed to keep homes lit, will be lack of diesel to keep the economy moving.
—Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dictatorship
Cite this Entry
“Dictatorship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dictatorship. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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