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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dictatorial
Wu’s strong personality and dictatorial style have caught the attention of President Donald Trump, border czar Tom Homan and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
—
Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 15 Mar. 2025
Don’t let your passion or ego be dictatorial in setting business and product parameters and goals.
—Martin Zwilling, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
Thank you for taking a stand against our dictatorial president.
— John Duffy, Elgin
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email [email protected].
—Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for dictatorial
Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 15 Mar. 2025
Don’t let your passion or ego be dictatorial in setting business and product parameters and goals.
—Martin Zwilling, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
Thank you for taking a stand against our dictatorial president.
— John Duffy, Elgin
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email [email protected].
—Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for dictatorial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictatorial
Adjective
-
Too many leaders seek to lead down by being authoritative, by pushing dictates on people and relentlessly driving forward toward arbitrary goals and deadlines.—
Andrew Deutscher,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
-
The responses, submitted by a fairly arbitrary group of women, range from profound to half-hearted.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Other writers and artists have also begun to mine this era for clues to China’s current authoritarian malaise.—
Ian Johnson,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2025
-
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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Ava Daniels is a young comedy writer who is unable to find work due to an insensitive tweet and her reputation for being self-centered and arrogant.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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And the villains, of course, exuding every nastily relatable emotion; the stepmothers and sorceresses are vain, arrogant, dismissive, lonely, rude, and outrageous.—
Darren Franich,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Collector is also hoping these will satiate the growing wants of his oppressive overlord, The Forger (Roddy Ricch), who has mysterious motives of his own.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2025
-
The current war in Sudan involves civil strife and shifting allegiances, in which one oppressive regime was toppled by a coalition, which then turned in on itself, leading to an even more vicious war.—
Lawrence D. Freedman,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Carrie is described as a reimagining of the story of misfit high-schooler Carrie White, who has spent her life in seclusion with her domineering mother.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
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Perhaps most frustrating to Mainers: the domineering influence of Boston in the state’s government.—
Made by History,
Time,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The Very Territorial Caterpillar Mr. Trump’s autocratic tendencies and disregard for constitutional norms are well documented.—
Peter Baker,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2025
-
The Democrats lost an election to someone with autocratic tendencies who has expressed endless racist, bigoted, and misogynistic beliefs.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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It was first created in 1942 specifically to serve as a foil to Axis disinformation and over the years became a beacon of hope to people living under all manner of totalitarian and despotic governments.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2025
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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 22 Apr. 2025.
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