as in tyrant
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
the dictator had a fierce stranglehold on the country, keeping its people in poverty and ignorance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dictator
Winslet was nominated for best performance by a female actor in a drama for her role as a photojournalist in Lee and best performance by a female actor in a limited anthology series for television as a fictional dictator in The Regime.
—
Rachel Flynn, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025
Our viewing point was from the teahouse where Marshall Tito, Yugoslavia’s dictator, had built a summer house.
—Everett Potter, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025
Then-Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi refused to extradite al-Megrahi and fellow suspect Lamin Khalifa Fhimah to the authorities in Washington or Edinburgh, resulting in years of sanctions.
—Rachel Brodsky, TIME, 2 Jan. 2025
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria used FPV drones, reportedly with Ukrainian help, in the swift sweep through Syria that forced the country’s dictator, President Bashar al-Assad, to flee to Moscow.
—C.j. Chivers Robert Fass Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dictator 
Rachel Flynn, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025
Our viewing point was from the teahouse where Marshall Tito, Yugoslavia’s dictator, had built a summer house.
—Everett Potter, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025
Then-Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi refused to extradite al-Megrahi and fellow suspect Lamin Khalifa Fhimah to the authorities in Washington or Edinburgh, resulting in years of sanctions.
—Rachel Brodsky, TIME, 2 Jan. 2025
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria used FPV drones, reportedly with Ukrainian help, in the swift sweep through Syria that forced the country’s dictator, President Bashar al-Assad, to flee to Moscow.
—C.j. Chivers Robert Fass Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dictator
Thesaurus Entries Near dictator
Cite this Entry
“Dictator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictator. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share