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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dictatorial
This concentration of authority is a legacy of decades of dictatorial rule before South Korea’s transition to democracy in 1987.
—
Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2025
Though Yoon rescinded the decree after just six hours, the martial law imposition was the first of its kind in South Korea in more than 40 years and evoked painful memories of past dictatorial rules in the 1960s-80s.
—Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 26 Jan. 2025
World Gone, the Assads Jay Nordlinger On the rise and fall of Syria’s dictatorial dynasty.
—Daniel Foster, National Review, 23 Jan. 2025
Adolescents and young people, who never lived in a dictatorial government, are discovering the history.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictatorial
Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2025
Though Yoon rescinded the decree after just six hours, the martial law imposition was the first of its kind in South Korea in more than 40 years and evoked painful memories of past dictatorial rules in the 1960s-80s.
—Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 26 Jan. 2025
World Gone, the Assads Jay Nordlinger On the rise and fall of Syria’s dictatorial dynasty.
—Daniel Foster, National Review, 23 Jan. 2025
Adolescents and young people, who never lived in a dictatorial government, are discovering the history.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictatorial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictatorial
Adjective
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What follows is a twisted examination of motherhood and the arbitrary expectations of adulthood.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2025
-
This is less sound economic policymaking than the arbitrary dispersal of favors.—
David B. McGarry,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The obvious split between a democratic Taiwan and an authoritarian China is an uncontestable reality and is part of the international consensus.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
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Since taking office just a few weeks ago, President Trump has rapidly depleted the reservoir of America’s soft power with an authoritarian bent and astonishing speed.—
Penny Abeywardena,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In a world where deal flow is crucial, being labeled as an arrogant VC results in missing out on prime opportunities.—
David Nour,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
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The arrogant anti-union stance did not start with the current CEO; even the legendary Studs Terkel was slapped down by WFMT management for his earlier support of an effort to unionize in 1990.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Cryptocurrency mixers can be essential tools for individuals who value privacy, including those living under oppressive regimes, journalists, whistleblowers, and businesses that require confidentiality in their transactions.—
Becca Bratcher,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
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Coventry became the minister of sports a year after the coup that removed Mugabe in the new administration of current President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe’s vice president who rights groups say has continued many of Mugabe’s oppressive policies.—
Gerald Imray,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Since then, he’s portrayed a colorful collection of characters, from a domineering theater owner in Shakespeare in Love to Pirates of the Caribbean’s villain turned hero, Captain Hector Barbossa.—
airmail.news,
airmail.news,
8 Mar. 2025
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All the while, his domineering mother Bunny (played by the late Frances Sternhagen) is determined to stay the number one woman in her son's life.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
EW.com,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Venezuelans have been living under the autocratic regime of Nicolás Maduro for more than a decade amid runaway inflation, worsening poverty and widespread political persecution, according to the Washington Office on Latin America., a progressive think tank in Washington, D.C.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2025
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Venezuela’s autocratic demagogue held a 2007 referendum to re-write the Constitution.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Hip-hop regenerates constantly, and yet there has been an almost despotic grip on the throne(s) for some time.—
Jon Caramanica,
New York Times,
24 Dec. 2024
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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
Adjective
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The film, based on Georges Simenon’s 1950 novel, stars Depardieu as a celebrated but tyrannical actor grappling with personal and professional decline.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Mar. 2025
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What is the character of those who bear false witness and favor Russia’s tyrannical lies over Ukrainians’ unalienable rights?—
Mark Sandy,
TIME,
14 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dictatorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictatorial. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
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