1
as in arbitrary
exercising power or authority without interference by others
a dictatorial leader with total control over people's lives
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in authoritarian
fond of ordering people around
no surprise that the dictatorial manager is highly unpopular among employees
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3
as in arrogant
having or showing a tendency to force one's will on others without any regard to fairness or necessity
even the teachers chafed under the dictatorial rule of the principal
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dictatorial
History has shown time after time that once one acquires dictatorial powers, those in other government offices become superfluous.
—
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2025
They shouldn't be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2025
Marco Rubio has long been a fierce critic of dictatorial leaders who have stifled speech in their countries and crushed opposition.
—Suzanne Gamboa, NBC news, 22 Mar. 2025
But voters had a clear choice between Harris’ decency and Trump’s demagoguery, paranoia and dictatorial ideas.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictatorial
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2025
They shouldn't be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2025
Marco Rubio has long been a fierce critic of dictatorial leaders who have stifled speech in their countries and crushed opposition.
—Suzanne Gamboa, NBC news, 22 Mar. 2025
But voters had a clear choice between Harris’ decency and Trump’s demagoguery, paranoia and dictatorial ideas.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictatorial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictatorial
Adjective
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This anecdote is a perfect snapshot of Jameela’s lifelong refusal to accept arbitrary rules.—
Mandeep Rai,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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Choosing a side for the wall would have been arbitrary.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
22 June 2025
Adjective
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Defending institutions of higher education from increasingly authoritarian measures is an important way to safeguard not only academic freedom, but the legacy of 1776 as well.—
Time,
Time,
1 July 2025
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Even among authoritarian regimes, differences in values can limit cooperation.—
Leon Aron,
The Atlantic,
29 June 2025
Adjective
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The protests proved conclusively that Americans will not tolerate the deployment of the U.S. military in American cities, the constant line-stepping over constitutional boundaries, the arrests of political dissenters, or the arrogant defense of police-state tactics.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 June 2025
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In Aesop’s fable, the turtle (traditionally called a tortoise, which is a type of turtle) is a winner, a perpetual underdog who defeats the arrogant hare.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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For those still experiencing the oppressive heat, here are some tips for how to find your own bit of relief.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
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But what is a heat dome, and why does the phenomenon bring oppressive heat with it?—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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Despite his character's domineering presence, Morse told ScreenRant there's more than meets the eye.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
18 June 2025
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It was then put to Tuchel that the show’s host Adrian Durham has friends who think England would be better off without Bellingham in the team, referring to that domineering personality.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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This was the fantasy in 1953, when the CIA and the British intelligence overthrew Mohammad Mossadegh, Iran’s prime minister who had nationalized the country’s oil, and delivered Iran to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s autocratic rule.—
Narges Bajoghli,
Time,
19 June 2025
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Most Third World states, for example, that were born as democracies lapsed into dictatorships or became autocratic shortly after independence.—
ASHLEY J. TELLIS,
Foreign Affairs,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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Napoleon, the pig who takes despotic control of the farm following the revolution — voiced with haughty gusto by Seth Rogen — bears an uncanny resemblance to the current occupant of the White House.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2025
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Bernal as a despotic and at times deluded Magellan persuades the Spanish Crown to fund his bold 16th century expedition to the fabled lands of the East, only to unleash a decade of devastation wreaked by European conquistadors in the Pacific as part of colonial conquests.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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The regime’s tyrannical efforts to control and extinguish their savings were futile against their newfound freedom money.—
Mauricio Di Bartolomeo,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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In the sequel, Atwood focuses on how tyrannical regimes destroy themselves.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dictatorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictatorial. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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