dictator

B2 Topic:Places & Geography

US /ˈdɪkˌteɪtəɹ/ UK /dɪkˈteɪtə/ See IPA manual

Freq #12525

Meanings

1

noun
A ruler who has complete power over a country, especially one who took it by force and rules cruelly.

The country suffered for years under a brutal dictator.
2

noun
A person who behaves in a bossy, controlling way and forces others to obey.

My boss is a dictator who makes everyone work overtime.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a ruler who has complete... potentate authoritarian

2 noun · a person who behaves in a... authoritarian

Word family

Forms dictators

Derived forms antidictatordictatoressdictatorlessdictatorlikedictatresspetro-dictatorquasi-dictator

Related forms dictate dictatorial dictatorship dictatrix

Etymology

From Latin dictātor (“a chief magistrate”), from dictō (“dictate, prescribe”), from dīcō (“say, speak”). By surface analysis, dictate + -or, literally “one who dictates”. Compare Old English tictator (“absolute ruler of the Roman Republic”).

*deyḱ- Proto-Indo-European dictātor Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Places & Geography

External links

# dictator

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈdɪkˌteɪtəɹ/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪkˈteɪtə/
**Frequency rank:** 12525

## Meanings
1. A ruler who has complete power over a country, especially one who took it by force and rules cruelly.
2. A person who behaves in a bossy, controlling way and forces others to obey.

## Examples
- The country suffered for years under a brutal dictator.
- My boss is a dictator who makes everyone work overtime.

## Derived Forms
- antidictator
- dictatoress
- dictatorless
- dictatorlike
- dictatress
- petro-dictator
- quasi-dictator

## Related Forms
- dictate
- dictatorial
- dictatorship
- dictatrix

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *deyḱ-
- Root: dictātor

## Etymology
From Latin dictātor (“a chief magistrate”), from dictō (“dictate, prescribe”), from dīcō (“say, speak”). By surface analysis, dictate + -or, literally “one who dictates”. Compare Old English tictator (“absolute ruler of the Roman Republic”).

## AI Etymology
dictator comes from Latin dictātor (“a chief magistrate”), from dictō (“dictate, prescribe”), from dīcō (“say, speak”). By surface analysis, dictate + -or, literally “one who dictates”. Compare Old English tictator (“absolute ruler of the Roman Republic”). The historical chain includes Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ-, Latin dictātor. Current senses include A ruler who has complete power over a country, especially one who took it by force and rules cruelly and A person who behaves in a bossy, controlling way and forces others to obey. English relatives and later formations include antidictator, dictatoress, dictatorless, dictate, dictatorial.

## Topics
- Places & Geography

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