as in tyrant
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
the dictator had a fierce stranglehold on the country, keeping its people in poverty and ignorance
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Recent Examples of dictator
When the novel ends, no one has any idea that within 18 months, Francisco Franco, the old dictator, will be gone.
—
Colm Tóibín, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2026
Even after seizing a wanted dictator out of Venezuela and while monitoring an air war in Iran.
—John Scott Lewinski, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
After all, Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco, who led the overthrow of the republic and then ruled from 1939 until his death in 1975, still casts a long, and often painful, shadow.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
The fascist dictator was executed in Italy in 1945.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dictator
Colm Tóibín, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2026
Even after seizing a wanted dictator out of Venezuela and while monitoring an air war in Iran.
—John Scott Lewinski, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
After all, Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco, who led the overthrow of the republic and then ruled from 1939 until his death in 1975, still casts a long, and often painful, shadow.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
The fascist dictator was executed in Italy in 1945.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dictator
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictator
tyrant
Noun
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Colletti joins One Piece as Wapol, a tyrant and adversary to the Straw Hats.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Mar. 2026
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At the time, Athens had just emerged from a period of dictatorship and some of his students had been among the tyrants who sought to take down Athens’ democracy.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dictator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictator. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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