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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Recent Examples of dictatorship
The words against Admiral Ratsiraka’s dictatorship that had lasted too long, from 1975 until 1991, the words that were bathed in blood in the Iavoloha rice fields on August 10, 1991, when the dictator gave the order to fire on the crowd of protesters.
—
Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2025
If the Supreme Court officially makes the chief executive a unitary executive, the advancement of the public good may depend on little more than the whims of the president, a state of affairs normally more characteristic of dictatorship than democracy.
—Graham G. Dodds, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025
In 38 Londres Street Philippe Sands investigates a Nazi war criminal’s collaboration with the Chilean dictatorship’s system of repression, torture, and murder.
—Ariel Dorfman, The New York Review of Books, 2 Oct. 2025
The movie, set largely in 1977 during the Brazilian military dictatorship, ends on a strange and sad note.
—Morgan Baila, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictatorship
Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2025
If the Supreme Court officially makes the chief executive a unitary executive, the advancement of the public good may depend on little more than the whims of the president, a state of affairs normally more characteristic of dictatorship than democracy.
—Graham G. Dodds, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025
In 38 Londres Street Philippe Sands investigates a Nazi war criminal’s collaboration with the Chilean dictatorship’s system of repression, torture, and murder.
—Ariel Dorfman, The New York Review of Books, 2 Oct. 2025
The movie, set largely in 1977 during the Brazilian military dictatorship, ends on a strange and sad note.
—Morgan Baila, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictatorship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictatorship
Noun
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As previously announced, Andrew Garfield stars as the legendary leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
13 Oct. 2025
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Andrew Garfield is leading the feature that is now in production, portraying the leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Thomas Pynchon has been warning us about American fascism the whole time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Oct. 2025
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His latest novel in English, , unfolds in a single sentence and reflects anxieties about rising fascism in Europe.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This is a democracy versus autocracy issue.—
Andrea Hsu,
NPR,
7 Oct. 2025
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Yet the film’s timeliness is still a tonic, given that the spirit of autocracy looks more and more like a virus that now wants to take over the world.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dictatorship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictatorship. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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