Synonyms of dictatorship

dictatorship

noun

dik-ˈtā-tər-ˌship 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tyranny
• fascism
• autocracy
• despotism
• totalitarianism
• authoritarianism
• absolutism
• monarchy
• autarchy
• Caesarism
• totalism
• oppression
• Communism
• czarism
• Nazism
• domination
• monarchism
• monocracy
• Big Brother
• Big Brotherism

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• democracy
• freedom
• self-government
• self-rule
• self-governance
• autonomy
• sovereignty
• self-determination

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dictatorship

The 1978 World Cup edition was played in and won by an Argentina ruled by a military dictatorship that forcibly disappeared thousands of people. — Minky Worden, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Imagine the charge, the potency, of Russell’s argument for free expressions and inquiry to subjects of a theocratic dictatorship. — Matt Thompson, SPIN, 8 July 2026

Library Hours Peruse the hardcovers at Livraria Ler, a haven for Lisbon literati since 1970 that, in its early years, secretly sold books banned by the country’s dictatorship. — Adam Erace, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026

His story stretches beyond sports, touching one of Haiti’s many mysteries of Haiti’s brutal Duvalier dictatorship and reflecting on the outsize role Haitians have long played in shaping American history. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026