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
… the statutory and constitutional constraints which distinguish a democracy from a dictatorship.—
Center for National Security Studies, et al. v. U.S. Dept. of Justice, 215 F.Supp.2d 94 (2002)
Center for National Security Studies, et al. v. U.S. Dept. of Justice, 215 F.Supp.2d 94 (2002)
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
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
The White House believes Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is calling the shots, a significant change from the theocratic dictatorship that has existed since the country's 1979 revolution.
—Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
Where the Silence Is Heard follows her journey of renovating the house and piecing together her family’s history, which has been colored by the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, exile, and decades of silence.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 15 Mar. 2026
Roig had taken part in one of the most famous sit-ins in Catalonia during the years before the end of the dictatorship, La Caputxinada.
—Colm Tóibín, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2026
For 67 years, the Cuban dictatorship has crushed dissent through tyranny, repression, persecution, and prison for anyone who dares to think differently or speak the word freedom.
—- Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dictatorship
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Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
Where the Silence Is Heard follows her journey of renovating the house and piecing together her family’s history, which has been colored by the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, exile, and decades of silence.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 15 Mar. 2026
Roig had taken part in one of the most famous sit-ins in Catalonia during the years before the end of the dictatorship, La Caputxinada.
—Colm Tóibín, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2026
For 67 years, the Cuban dictatorship has crushed dissent through tyranny, repression, persecution, and prison for anyone who dares to think differently or speak the word freedom.
—- Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dictatorship
Cite this Entry
“Dictatorship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dictatorship. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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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