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
Chinese officials fear that Russia’s influence over the insular dictatorship is growing at China’s expense.
—
Sungmin Cho, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
Unfolding against the backdrop of Argentina’s military dictatorship, Our Share of Night features a once-in-a-generation medium able to channel a dark force that warps his body and offers untold and dangerous power.
—Mikaella Clements & Onjuli Datta, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
So, here is a classic case of a free and independent country being invaded and brutalized by an expansionist dictatorship that seeks to redraw international boundaries by force.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 28 Oct. 2024
Whereas The Remainder was preoccupied with the ghosts of a violent dictatorship, Clean exposes more contemporary cultural fault lines that are just as destabilizing and, in their immediacy, more urgent.
—Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2024
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Sungmin Cho, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
Unfolding against the backdrop of Argentina’s military dictatorship, Our Share of Night features a once-in-a-generation medium able to channel a dark force that warps his body and offers untold and dangerous power.
—Mikaella Clements & Onjuli Datta, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
So, here is a classic case of a free and independent country being invaded and brutalized by an expansionist dictatorship that seeks to redraw international boundaries by force.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 28 Oct. 2024
Whereas The Remainder was preoccupied with the ghosts of a violent dictatorship, Clean exposes more contemporary cultural fault lines that are just as destabilizing and, in their immediacy, more urgent.
—Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 18 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 28 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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