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
During the dictatorships after World War II, the natural barrier of the Accursed Mountains was fortified, set about with land mines, and patrolled, effectively isolating the stronghold of Albania from the rest of the world.
—
Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Masked agents in unmarked cars are what my parents escaped from in a communist dictatorship; that’s not compatible with American values.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
Written and directed by Pérez Rial, the film reconstructs the exile of Sosa, who was arrested during a 1978 concert in La Plata and later forced to flee Argentina’s dictatorship.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025
Caesar's Legion is a straight-up totalitarian dictatorship of LARPers playing Romans.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictatorship
Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Masked agents in unmarked cars are what my parents escaped from in a communist dictatorship; that’s not compatible with American values.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
Written and directed by Pérez Rial, the film reconstructs the exile of Sosa, who was arrested during a 1978 concert in La Plata and later forced to flee Argentina’s dictatorship.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025
Caesar's Legion is a straight-up totalitarian dictatorship of LARPers playing Romans.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictatorship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictatorship
Noun
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These cars are sensational, liberating Honda’s engineering excellence from the tyranny of front-wheel drive.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
28 Oct. 2025
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Andrew Garfield leads the feature that is now in production, portraying the leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Politically or electorally speaking, Maoism could hardly be less relevant in this day and age—no one wants egalitarian totalitarianism anymore than (most) people want fascism.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
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Right-wing figures have blamed the Left for increasing the political temperature and resulting in Kirk’s assassination by weaponizing accusations of fascism, Nazism, and various kinds of bigotry.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Because, as the analysis above suggests, autocracy always comes gradually.—
John M. Crisp,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
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Mozambique’s mobilization against autocracy gained traction, Argentina’s mass protests against femicide went mainstream, and Indonesia’s civil unrest over economic frustrations came to a head.—
Michael Shank,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dictatorship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictatorship. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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