Definition

1. Noun:
   • A ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained control by force: A dictator is an authoritarian leader who holds absolute political power, often without constitutional limits or democratic processes.
   • A person who behaves in an autocratic or tyrannical manner: In a general sense, it can describe anyone who exercises absolute, often harsh, authority in any sphere, such as a workplace or family.
   • A person who dictates text to be written down or recorded: In a specific, non-political context, a dictator is someone who speaks aloud material for another person to transcribe or for a machine to record.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Political Ruler):
  • The dictator seized power in a military coup and suppressed all opposition.
  • History is filled with examples of dictators who ruled through fear and propaganda.
• Noun (Authoritarian Person):
  • Our manager is a bit of a dictator; he never listens to anyone else's ideas.
  • She ran the household like a benevolent dictator, organizing every detail.
• Noun (One who dictates text):
  • Before recording devices, authors often employed a dictator to transcribe their novels.
  • He worked as a dictator for a blind professor, reading textbooks aloud.

Advanced Usage

• "Benevolent dictator": A ruler who holds absolute power but is perceived to use it for the benefit of the people, or a person in authority who makes all decisions but with good intentions.
  • The company's founder was a benevolent dictator whose vision led to its great success.
• "To play the dictator": To act in an imperious or domineering way.
  • Stop playing the dictator and let the team make some decisions.

Variants and Related Words

• Dictatorial (adj): Characteristic of a dictator; tyrannical.
  • His dictatorial management style led to high staff turnover.
• Dictatorship (n): A state or country governed by a dictator, or the office or period of rule of a dictator.
  • The nation suffered under his dictatorship for two decades.
• Dictate (v): To state or order authoritatively, or to say words aloud for transcription.
  • He tried to dictate the terms of the agreement.

Synonyms

• Autocrat: A ruler who has absolute power.
• Tyrant: A cruel and oppressive ruler.
• Despot: A ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it in a cruel way.
• Authoritarian: Favoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom.

Related Phrases

• Military dictator: A dictator whose power is based on control of the armed forces.
  • The general became a military dictator after the revolution.
• To overthrow a dictator: To remove a dictator from power, often by force.
  • The people united to overthrow the dictator.

Related Idioms

• Absolute power corrupts absolutely: This proverb is often associated with the unchecked power of a dictator, suggesting that unlimited power leads to abuse.
  • The historian cited the regime as a classic case where absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Noun

1. a person who behaves in a tyrannical manner
   • my boss is a dictator who makes everyone work overtime
2. a ruler who is unconstrained by law
3. a speaker who dictates to a secretary or a recording machine