as in tyranny
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
a revolution that only ended up replacing one dictatorship with another
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Recent Examples of dictatorship
By the 1980s, Agüero was among the many filmmakers working in Chile’s growing advertising industry, struggling with the practical constraints of moviemaking under the Pinochet dictatorship while also trying to find his cinematic voice.
—
Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
Under dictatorship until 1974 and long one of Western Europe’s poorest nations, Portugal developed a design ethos rooted in practicality.
—Christine Chitnis, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Apr. 2026
Rafael Montalvo, president of the Brigade 2506 Veterans Association, said the museum will also educate visitors about the harm caused by decades of Communist dictatorship.
—CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
The 1980s unleashed a passionate wave of student protests and artistic flowering to disassemble the island’s brutal dictatorship.
—Michelle Kuo, The Dial, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dictatorship
Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
Under dictatorship until 1974 and long one of Western Europe’s poorest nations, Portugal developed a design ethos rooted in practicality.
—Christine Chitnis, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Apr. 2026
Rafael Montalvo, president of the Brigade 2506 Veterans Association, said the museum will also educate visitors about the harm caused by decades of Communist dictatorship.
—CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
The 1980s unleashed a passionate wave of student protests and artistic flowering to disassemble the island’s brutal dictatorship.
—Michelle Kuo, The Dial, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dictatorship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictatorship
Noun
-
Without constant reinforcement, these muscles will atrophy, and when real tyranny arrives, the flabby citizen will be powerless to resist.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Focus Features has set a Sept 11 release for the Paul Greengrass directed, Andrew Garfield starring The Uprising, which follows the untold true story of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The questions and solutions change with every performance, ranging from Masli making difficult phone calls on an audience member’s behalf, recovering a long-missing recipe, finding the name of an old song or ending global fascism.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Apr. 2026
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There are so many good folks who are carving out community and lifting each other up in the face of fascism.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
If Magyar fails to fix the system and deliver results, a return to autocracy would be likely.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Since 2021, the state has been grappling with slowing economic output, weaning itself off a property market bubble, and trying to find a balance between promoting a free market and stock exchange within a one-party autocracy.—
Joseph Wilkins,Sean Conlon,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Eight decades later, as nations inch toward despotism, an art animated by democratic impulses makes a stronger case for itself.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The hope is that the institutional reforms started by the interim administration of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus deliver the necessary checks and balances to avert another lurch toward despotism.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dictatorship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictatorship. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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