1
as in authoritarian
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 domineering
fond of ordering people around
no surprise that the dictatorial manager is highly unpopular among employees
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in arbitrary
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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Recent Examples of dictatorial
International election watchdogs, including the United States, say Maduro manipulated the ballot results in order to steal a third term in office and continue his dictatorial reign.
—
Alana Wise, NPR, 3 Jan. 2026
There was a vaguely communist atmosphere on set—not dictatorial, not Putin-like.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 30 Nov. 2025
Ultimately, the International Criminal Court charged Sudan's former dictatorial ruler Omar al-Bashir with genocide.
—Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 28 Nov. 2025
Under Franco’s dictatorial regime, women’s roles were rigidly controlled by the ideology of National Catholicism, which linked femininity, motherhood and loyalty to the state.
—Zaya Rustamova, The Conversation, 19 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictatorial
Alana Wise, NPR, 3 Jan. 2026
There was a vaguely communist atmosphere on set—not dictatorial, not Putin-like.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 30 Nov. 2025
Ultimately, the International Criminal Court charged Sudan's former dictatorial ruler Omar al-Bashir with genocide.
—Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 28 Nov. 2025
Under Franco’s dictatorial regime, women’s roles were rigidly controlled by the ideology of National Catholicism, which linked femininity, motherhood and loyalty to the state.
—Zaya Rustamova, The Conversation, 19 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictatorial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictatorial
Adjective
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Rezwan Shahriar Sumit’s Master, tracing the rise of a teacher drawn into local politics in Bangladesh and moving from idealism to authoritarian impulses, won the Big Screen Competition.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Feb. 2026
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What is unique in this moment is how aggressively one political party is leveraging this and the ends to which it is being used, which is to overthrow democracy and to install an authoritarian regime.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In the movie, set in medieval England, Anne (Turner) and her domineering mother-in-law, Morwen (Gay Harden), struggle to survive on the outskirts of society.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Feb. 2026
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The part of the audience fresh to this season’s developments may recall Hearts’ brief appearance in series 2 of Succession — Roman Roy buys the club as a gift for his Scottish father, the domineering Logan, only to discover Logan supports Hibs, Hearts’ Edinburgh rivals.—
Michael Walker,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The organizations call the rules arbitrary and warn that the bans harm a civilian population desperately in need of aid.—
Samy Magdy,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
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These thresholds are not arbitrary.—
Michael Gianaris,
New York Daily News,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Drawing from the histories of women detained for their political beliefs, the work explores how care, resistance and survival persist even under the most oppressive conditions.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
1 Feb. 2026
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Director Tony Williams masterfully curates a mood of oppressive dread from the opening minutes through the bloody climax and explosive final frames, making this one of the very best Australian horror films of all time.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In the early years of his fame as a writer, Rushdie had something of a reputation for being prickly and arrogant, but Gibney’s portrait reveals a man mellowed by time and experience.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Jan. 2026
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Spock is this brilliant, arrogant, aloof-to-the-point-of-obnoxiousness genius.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
18 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Government institutions run by lackeys are also more easily manipulated by autocratic leaders, and no longer serve the public interest.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
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It’s also tinged with irony since, as his homeland’s de facto opposition leader, Rahman’s speeches had been banned from local media for a decade by autocratic former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The men who rule the Islamic Republic of Iran came to power in 1979 after millions of ordinary people filled the streets to demand the end of a despotic regime.—
Karl Vick,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
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The first Mistborn trilogy of books centered on metal-using magicians who attempt to overthrow a despotic empire.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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To be an Iranian today is to live within the memory and continuity of Persian civilization, to sustain an ethics of beauty and embody an act of resistance against an ugly and tyrannical Iran.—
Ramin Jahanbegloo,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
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The book examines the worst acts of autocrats and tyrannical leaders dating back centuries.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dictatorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictatorial. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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