as in tyrant
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
the dictator had a fierce stranglehold on the country, keeping its people in poverty and ignorance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dictator
Maduro is a terrible dictator who has destroyed the Venezuelan economy and corruptly clung to power.
—
Elizabeth Shackelford, Mercury News, 21 Oct. 2025
Trump is no king, much less a dictator or a tyrant.
—Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
And with foreign powers long divided over the war in Syria and the uprising against its former dictator, there is little hope for an international tribunal either.
—Danny Makki, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
The 2025 Noble Peace Prize went to Maria Corina Machado for her political opposition to Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictator
Elizabeth Shackelford, Mercury News, 21 Oct. 2025
Trump is no king, much less a dictator or a tyrant.
—Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
And with foreign powers long divided over the war in Syria and the uprising against its former dictator, there is little hope for an international tribunal either.
—Danny Makki, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
The 2025 Noble Peace Prize went to Maria Corina Machado for her political opposition to Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictator
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictator
tyrant
Noun
-
As historian Timothy Snyder warns, tyrants will always take advantage of a national crisis to consolidate their power and remove their opponents’ civil liberties.—
Rev. Nathan Empsall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
-
So how should CHROs and other talent leaders handle reports of an office tyrant?—
Susan Caminiti,
CNBC,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dictator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictator. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share