as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
a revolution that only ended up replacing one dictatorship with another
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dictatorship
Shaheen called this a historic opportunity for Syria after years of dictatorship under the Assad regime.
—
Michele Kelemen, NPR, 22 Sep. 2025
This is the path to a dictatorship.
—Meg Kinnard, Fortune, 21 Sep. 2025
That is the president crossing the line into dictatorship.
—Jesse Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
Trump’s accelerationist instincts, the zeal of his fan base, and the complicity, cowardice, and inaction of the Democratic Party in the face of the governing Republican trifecta made the possibility of a military dictatorship in the United States seem borderline plausible.
—Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictatorship
Michele Kelemen, NPR, 22 Sep. 2025
This is the path to a dictatorship.
—Meg Kinnard, Fortune, 21 Sep. 2025
That is the president crossing the line into dictatorship.
—Jesse Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
Trump’s accelerationist instincts, the zeal of his fan base, and the complicity, cowardice, and inaction of the Democratic Party in the face of the governing Republican trifecta made the possibility of a military dictatorship in the United States seem borderline plausible.
—Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictatorship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictatorship
Noun
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Christian is annoyed by Max’s temporary tyranny and overall seems … normal.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
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When human decency and basic civility fall victim to partisanship and ideology, and abhorrence of violence becomes tempered by political aims, monstrosities and tyrannies become possible.—
Michael Bloomberg,
Twin Cities,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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No more communism, or fascism; no more theocracy, or monarchies.—
Richard Stengel,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
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This is the thing about fascism, right?—
Helen Molesworth,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Biden administration completed the reversion to a Cold War frame, declaring a global divide between democracies and autocracies, with China and Russia reprising their roles as principal foes.—
JENNIFER KAVANAGH,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Sep. 2025
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Although realistic doomsday scenarios—nuclear war, global warming, autocracy—are stressful to contemplate, more fanciful apocalypses (an alien invasion, a robot uprising) can generate some enjoyable escapism.—
Adam Becker,
The Atlantic,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dictatorship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictatorship. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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