1
as in arbitrary
exercising power or authority without interference by others
a dictatorial leader with total control over people's lives
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in authoritarian
fond of ordering people around
no surprise that the dictatorial manager is highly unpopular among employees
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3
as in arrogant
having or showing a tendency to force one's will on others without any regard to fairness or necessity
even the teachers chafed under the dictatorial rule of the principal
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Recent Examples of dictatorial
Kim added that the pursuit of individualism in Korea coexists with a sense of community, rooted in Confucian values, and a collective yearning for freedom stemming from Japanese occupation and dictatorial regimes.
—
Hanna Park, CNN, 13 Jan. 2025
These are features and not bugs: Spreading fear is the essence of the dictatorial system.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
His incendiary rhymes, which boldly call out the atrocities carried out by the country’s dictatorial regime, have resulted in multiple arrests and extended stretches in prison over the last five years, for a sum total of 753 days.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 9 Jan. 2025
Under Xi, China has become more authoritarian, and Beijing has drawn closer to like-minded countries, including Russia and Iran, drawing intense hostility from Washington that sees this loose coalition of dictatorial nations as bent on creating a more dangerous and volatile multipolar world.
—Brad Dress, The Hill, 7 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictatorial
Hanna Park, CNN, 13 Jan. 2025
These are features and not bugs: Spreading fear is the essence of the dictatorial system.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
His incendiary rhymes, which boldly call out the atrocities carried out by the country’s dictatorial regime, have resulted in multiple arrests and extended stretches in prison over the last five years, for a sum total of 753 days.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 9 Jan. 2025
Under Xi, China has become more authoritarian, and Beijing has drawn closer to like-minded countries, including Russia and Iran, drawing intense hostility from Washington that sees this loose coalition of dictatorial nations as bent on creating a more dangerous and volatile multipolar world.
—Brad Dress, The Hill, 7 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictatorial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictatorial
Adjective
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Anyone who’s ever thrown a pitch or swung a bat knows that the umpire decides in the end — and those decisions have felt arbitrary and highly personal at times.—
Keith O'Brien,
Rolling Stone,
23 Feb. 2025
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Trump’s arbitrary 75-day pause on the TikTok ban would expire April 5, 2025.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Some human rights advocates are concerned about a growing alignment between how the Trump administration discusses democracy work and how authoritarian regimes frame the same topic.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
19 Feb. 2025
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And as the United States veered away from longstanding alliances with European democracies and toward a brutal authoritarian regime, U.S. Pres.—
David Axe,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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According to Packer, several surefire ways to ensure success start here: Be arrogant!—
Dominique Fluker,
Essence,
17 Feb. 2025
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In 1254, King Edward I and Queen Eleanor of Castile were married at a very young age, and although Edward had a reputation for being arrogant and quarrelsome, the pair eventually fell deeply in love.—
Gulnaz Khan,
AFAR Media,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This gripping series takes viewers into insidious modern-day cults through the unique lens of members who endured unspeakable trauma and the shocking investigations into these oppressive groups.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2025
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Dominic Frey is a member of the oppressive class and everything Silas should despise — but now their mutual discretion is all that’s keeping them from punishment for their crimes of passion.—
Olivia Waite,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Here's Your Zodiac Love Compatibility, Based on Your Sign Sagittarius: Rachel Chu from Crazy Rich Asians To maintain her relationship, Rachel takes on a fight with her boyfriend’s domineering mother Eleanor.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
13 Feb. 2025
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He’s had something of a habit of playing domineering fathers, doing so on Ugly Betty (2006–2007) and as Charles Widmore on Lost (2006–2010).—
Sezin Devi Koehler,
EW.com,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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European leaders are aghast at America’s autocratic lurch.—
David Axe,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
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Image The years since, through the first Trump presidency, the Jan. 6 riot, the impeachments and autocratic rhetoric, have not appreciably changed Michaels’s approach to political sketches.—
Maureen Dowd,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The notion that these companies were sovereign enclaves of pitilessly despotic geniuses is a myth of recent vintage.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
The New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2025
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Most humans who have ever lived have done so under despotic regimes.—
Stephen D. Krasner,
Foreign Affairs,
10 Feb. 2020
Adjective
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Only the second entry in the young Thompson's filmography, Heavyweights tells the story of a group of enrollees at a weight loss camp who stage a coup against the tyrannical fitness enthusiasts who've recently seized power.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
20 Feb. 2025
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The most unpopular president this century is dictating tyrannical violations of the U.S. Constitution.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
10 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dictatorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictatorial. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
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