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
Authorities in Romania, under the strict communist dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu, granted Lucescu’s family a move that month to Hunedoara, 400km north-west of the capital.
—Colin Millar, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2026
For the Turkmen people, there was nothing comical about life under his dictatorship.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2026
Based on a true story, the film focuses on Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres), a wife and mother whose politician husband disappears under Brazil's military dictatorship in the '70s.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Apr. 2026
Opponents of the Iranian dictatorship decry negotiation with a regime that has killed tens of thousands of its own people in recurrent waves of recent protests.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dictatorship
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Colin Millar, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2026
For the Turkmen people, there was nothing comical about life under his dictatorship.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2026
Based on a true story, the film focuses on Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres), a wife and mother whose politician husband disappears under Brazil's military dictatorship in the '70s.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Apr. 2026
Opponents of the Iranian dictatorship decry negotiation with a regime that has killed tens of thousands of its own people in recurrent waves of recent protests.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 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 22 Apr. 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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