dictatorship
noun
dic·ta·tor·ship
dik-ˈtā-tər-ˌship 
ˈdik-ˌtā-
1
: the office of dictator
2
: autocratic rule, control, or leadership
people suffering under his dictatorship
3
a
: a form of government in which absolute power is concentrated in a dictator or a small clique
Communism and dictatorship
b
: a government organization or group in which absolute power is so concentrated
rising up against a military dictatorship
c
: a despotic state
establishing a dictatorship
Synonyms
Examples of dictatorship in a Sentence
The country suffered for many years under his dictatorship.
His enemies accused him of establishing a dictatorship.
Recent Examples on the Web
His thirty-two-year hard-line dictatorship witnessed political assassinations and the violent suppression of human rights by his army.
—
Hung Duong, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2024
The peace plan tried to secure Arab recognition of Israel’s 1967 conquests, in exchange for more American aid and arms sales to the brutal Egyptian, Saudi and Emirati dictatorships.
—Caise D. Hassan, Chicago Tribune, 31 Oct. 2024
It is named after the late Brazilian captain who co-founded the Corinthians Democracy movement in the early 1980s in opposition to the ruling military dictatorship in his country.
—Asif Burhan, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Taiwan’s civil nuclear program was started under the military dictatorship of Chiang Kai-shek’s KMT party with half an eye on developing a nuclear weapons program.
—Isabel Hilton, WIRED, 5 Oct. 2024
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Hung Duong, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2024
The peace plan tried to secure Arab recognition of Israel’s 1967 conquests, in exchange for more American aid and arms sales to the brutal Egyptian, Saudi and Emirati dictatorships.
—Caise D. Hassan, Chicago Tribune, 31 Oct. 2024
It is named after the late Brazilian captain who co-founded the Corinthians Democracy movement in the early 1980s in opposition to the ruling military dictatorship in his country.
—Asif Burhan, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Taiwan’s civil nuclear program was started under the military dictatorship of Chiang Kai-shek’s KMT party with half an eye on developing a nuclear weapons program.
—Isabel Hilton, WIRED, 5 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dictatorship
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Dictionary Entries Near dictatorship
Cite this Entry
“Dictatorship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dictatorship. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dictatorship
noun
dic·ta·tor·ship
dik-ˈtāt-ər-ˌship
ˈdik-ˌtāt-
1
: the office of a dictator
2
: rule, control, or leadership by one person with total power
3
: a government or country in which total power is held by a dictator or a small group
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