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
As Costa tells it, even the turmoil of the ensuing years, which included a brutal military dictatorship and multiple impeachments, were still at heart secular: Humans, however flawed and at times incredibly cruel, remained at the root of these decisions.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 11 July 2025
Nicaragua, for instance, is described as one of the poorest countries in the world, and as a brutal dictatorship.
—Andres Oppenheimer
july 9, Miami Herald, 9 July 2025
During the dictatorship, blackouts were used to control people.
—Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
But if Trump’s Iran gamble turns out well and Iran’s theocratic dictatorship either crumbles or gives up its uranium enrichment program through diplomatic negotiations — a big if — Trump will be credited with having done something four previous presidents contemplated but ultimately failed to do.
—Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictatorship
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 11 July 2025
Nicaragua, for instance, is described as one of the poorest countries in the world, and as a brutal dictatorship.
—Andres Oppenheimer
july 9, Miami Herald, 9 July 2025
During the dictatorship, blackouts were used to control people.
—Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
But if Trump’s Iran gamble turns out well and Iran’s theocratic dictatorship either crumbles or gives up its uranium enrichment program through diplomatic negotiations — a big if — Trump will be credited with having done something four previous presidents contemplated but ultimately failed to do.
—Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictatorship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictatorship
Noun
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose own family fled Cuba, surely understands the desperation that drives people to seek refuge from tyranny.—
Arlene Marcus,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Aug. 2025
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Had any Democratic president tried to so directly politicize these independent agencies Republicans would be screaming about the coming tyranny.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
10 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Stephen Graybill performs this audiobook with the skill of a newscaster who’s recounting revelation upon revelation about the spies on both sides of the war (and the Atlantic) who were using their skills to urge Americans to join the desperate struggle against fascism, or not.—
AudioFile Magazine
July 31,
Literary Hub,
31 July 2025
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Colbert has consistently called out Donald Trump and slammed the media’s growing cowardice in the face of fascism.—
Lizz Winstead,
Rolling Stone,
25 July 2025
Noun
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One autocracy was over, another was just beginning.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
13 July 2025
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This liberal segment hopes that the country’s democratic institutions will keep it from sinking into autocracy.—
ANDREI KOLESNIKOV,
Foreign Affairs,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dictatorship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictatorship. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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