dictatorship
noun
Simple meaning
A type of government where absolute sovereignty is allotted to a person or a small clique.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
dihktaytershipSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
dɪkˈteɪtɚʃɪp
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A type of government where absolute sovereignty is allotted to an individual or a small clique.
A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)
A government which exercises autocratic rule.
Any household, institution, or other organization that is run under such sovereignty or autocracy.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A type of government where absolute sovereignty is allotted to an individual or a small clique.
Used this way, dictatorship is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It turns up most in government or politics contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Government/politics
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Government
Household
Other combinations
Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Positiveness; the state of being absolute.
A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition….
Government by a despot or despots: rule by a singular authority, either a single person or a tight-knit group, which….
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: type of government where absolute sovereignty is allotted to an individual
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “dictatorship” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.