dictatorship

noun

dic·ta·tor·ship | \ dik-ˈtā-tər-ˌship,

ˈdik-ˌ\

Definition of dictatorship

1 : the office of dictator

2 : autocratic rule, control, or leadership people suffering under his dictatorship

3a : a form of government in which absolute power is concentrated in a dictator or a small clique Communism and dictatorship

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

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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

For the President of the United States to send that signal to a North Korean general struck many people as odd at best, and insulting at worst, to the tens of thousands of North Koreans who have struggled under Kim's dictatorship. — Chris Cillizza, CNN, "What was Donald Trump thinking when he saluted a North Korean general?," 14 June 2018 Players were also banned from playing abroad, while those already at teams in former colonial master Belgium were expensively repatriated under the dictatorship of leopard skin wearing dictator President Mobutu Sese Seko. — SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 11 Weeks to Go - Broken Promises, a Dictator & the Tragedy of Zaire 1974," 7 Apr. 2018 Before 2016, socialist was a kind of political slur, evoking cruel dictatorships where the government controlled the economy. — Rebecca Nelson, Marie Claire, "Party Crashers: These Female Candidates Are Shaking Up The Midterms," 2 Nov. 2018 In 2004, a left-leaning prime minister introduced the first legislation to take on the legacy of the war and dictatorship. — Matías Costa, Smithsonian, "The Battle Over the Memory of the Spanish Civil War," 28 June 2018 No one knows how the armed forces would respond to an imposition of dictatorship. — The Economist, "Time is running out for Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega," 9 June 2018 Democracy may be under siege worldwide but recent elections in Latin America, which came out of a period of military dictatorship only three decades ago, show there may be no turning back. — The Christian Science Monitor, "An election so normal it’s a benchmark," 4 Apr. 2018 Last month President Michel Temer put the military in charge of Rio de Janeiro’s security forces, the first move of its kind since the end of Brazil’s dictatorship. — David Biller, Bloomberg.com, "People Are Ready to Buy Some Guns in the World’s Murder Capital," 20 Mar. 2018 The head of the bank said in September that the dictatorships in Havana and Caracas have outstanding loans of $1 billion and both are in arrears. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Bolsonaro’s Hope and Change," 29 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dictatorship.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.