as in tyrants
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 dictators
With a bottomless well of ideas, relentless encouragement, and a grin that only seems to widen by the season, the Wichita, Kansas, native runs TV’s most prolific reality competition series as the most benevolent of dictators.
—
David Canfield, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
Based in Boston, the international corporation networked with dictators and local officials in Central America, many Caribbean islands and parts of South America to acquire immense estates for railroads and banana plantations.
—Aaron Coy Moulton, The Conversation, 15 Jan. 2026
Clues from his lawyer and ex-dictators Local nongovernmental organizations have said that the number of prisoners freed since Thursday ranges from 60 to 70, and have denounced a slow pace and lack of information surrounding the releases.
—Reuters, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
As the President insults allies, woos dictators, and spurns long-standing commitments, Rubio has to convince his counterparts that America will not entirely abandon its friends.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
In return, Cuba provided ‘Security Services’ for the last two Venezuelan dictators, BUT NOT ANYMORE!
—Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Mainly for the money Among the fraternity of dictators such revenue streams have now gone mainstream.
—Max Hastings, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
The specter of the Arab Spring, where dictators fell across the region only for chaos to follow, looms large.
—Paul Wallace, Fortune, 11 Jan. 2026
The world’s dictators and terrorists commit acts of aggression not because the United States does, but when the United States and its allies don’t stop them.
—Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
David Canfield, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
Based in Boston, the international corporation networked with dictators and local officials in Central America, many Caribbean islands and parts of South America to acquire immense estates for railroads and banana plantations.
—Aaron Coy Moulton, The Conversation, 15 Jan. 2026
Clues from his lawyer and ex-dictators Local nongovernmental organizations have said that the number of prisoners freed since Thursday ranges from 60 to 70, and have denounced a slow pace and lack of information surrounding the releases.
—Reuters, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
As the President insults allies, woos dictators, and spurns long-standing commitments, Rubio has to convince his counterparts that America will not entirely abandon its friends.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
In return, Cuba provided ‘Security Services’ for the last two Venezuelan dictators, BUT NOT ANYMORE!
—Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Mainly for the money Among the fraternity of dictators such revenue streams have now gone mainstream.
—Max Hastings, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
The specter of the Arab Spring, where dictators fell across the region only for chaos to follow, looms large.
—Paul Wallace, Fortune, 11 Jan. 2026
The world’s dictators and terrorists commit acts of aggression not because the United States does, but when the United States and its allies don’t stop them.
—Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictators
tyrants
Noun
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Those historians were impressed by how much personal force the old tyrants could generate.—
David Brooks,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
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The world is full of bad actors—cheats, liars, tyrants, sickos—who are, ultimately, mere human beings; at least, this was how rationality would have it.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dictators.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictators. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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