1
as in authoritarian
exercising power or authority without interference by others
a dictatorial leader with total control over people's lives
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in domineering
fond of ordering people around
no surprise that the dictatorial manager is highly unpopular among employees
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dictatorial
The upper ranks of the dictatorial regime’s leadership have been decimated.
—
Kazem Kazerounian,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
In 1933, the German Reichstag adopted the Enabling Act, which effectively granted Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers.
—
ABC News,
9 Mar. 2026
They are aimed at liberty, normalization and everything dictatorial theocracy fears most.
—
Calev Myers,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
The film is at its best building tension and showing us just how anxious life is under dictatorial rule.
—
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dictatorial
Kazem Kazerounian,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
In 1933, the German Reichstag adopted the Enabling Act, which effectively granted Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers.
—
ABC News,
9 Mar. 2026
They are aimed at liberty, normalization and everything dictatorial theocracy fears most.
—
Calev Myers,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
The film is at its best building tension and showing us just how anxious life is under dictatorial rule.
—
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dictatorial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictatorial
Adjective
-
Satrapi shows us that under authoritarian rule, exile is experienced not only in leaving home, but in the slow erosion of the self from within.
-
Building the capacity of governments, especially authoritarian ones, to manage migration and contain refugees is not an inherent global good.
Adjective
-
Musk’s company has inked lucrative AI deals with Anthropic and Google and plans to be the domineering firm behind orbital data centers, which SpaceX has said could be deployed as early as 2028.
-
Many figures within evangelicalism have promoted an aggressive, domineering, even abusive view of manhood—affixing to it, as Du Mez argues, the label biblical.
Adjective
-
For at least a decade, federal agents followed guidelines designed to prevent arbitrary civil immigration arrests of people at courthouses.
-
Some media outlets, however, reported that some of those detained were politicians or activists, leading to allegations of arbitrary detentions.
Adjective
-
Dealing with extreme heat in India, where oppressive temperatures have become a matter of routine in recent years, revealed another disconnect.
-
The Shah was so corrupt and oppressive that the 1979 revolution was almost inevitable.
Adjective
-
The passage is incoherent, yet, in conflating progressive reform with arrogant blind faith, it is perfectly suited to Vance’s cynical conservatism.
-
To no one’s surprise, Bonnie is immediately transfixed by her Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee, whose arrogant smarm effectively threads the needle between Maya Hawke’s Anxiety and Regina George’s everything else).
Adjective
-
Indeed, the King would later establish the Instrument of Foundation of the Royal Academy as a more autocratic counterpart.
-
But there simply aren’t that many people who want an autocratic America.
Adjective
-
The pretence of an absolute, irresistible, despotic power, existing in every government somewhere, is incompatible with the first principle of natural right.
-
The Academy rules work for countries with democratic governments but not for countries with despotic regimes.
Adjective
-
This dooms the kingdom to the tyrannical rule of the villainous Priscilla (Nikki Glaser), who swoops in and snatches the throne.
-
The bony villain is a warlock who stole the throne of Eternia from King Randor and now rules it with a tyrannical fist.
Cite this Entry
“Dictatorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictatorial. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
