dictatorial

US /ˌdɪktəˈtɔriəl/ UK /ˌdɪktəˈtɔːriəl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
having unlimited power; domineering and overbearing in manner

His dictatorial management style drove away talented employees.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · having unlimited power;... domineering authoritarian tyrannical autocratic overbearing imperious despotic peremptory

Opposites

democratic submissive meek liberal

Word family

Derived forms dictatoriallydictatorialness

Related forms dictator dictatorship dictate diction

Etymology

From Latin dictator ('one who dictates, a magistrate with absolute power') plus the suffix -ial; dictator derives from dictare ('to say repeatedly, dictate'), a frequentative of dicere ('to say, speak').

dictator Latin dictare Latin dicere Latin *deyḱ- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# dictatorial

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˌdɪktəˈtɔriəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌdɪktəˈtɔːriəl/

## Meanings
1. having unlimited power; domineering and overbearing in manner

## Examples
- His dictatorial management style drove away talented employees.

## Synonyms
- domineering
- authoritarian
- tyrannical
- autocratic
- overbearing
- imperious
- despotic
- peremptory

## Antonyms
- democratic
- submissive
- meek
- liberal

## Derived Forms
- dictatorially
- dictatorialness

## Related Forms
- dictator
- dictatorship
- dictate
- diction

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: dictator
- Root: dictare
- Root: dicere - to say
- Root: *deyḱ-

## Etymology
From Latin dictator ('one who dictates, a magistrate with absolute power') plus the suffix -ial; dictator derives from dictare ('to say repeatedly, dictate'), a frequentative of dicere ('to say, speak').

## AI Etymology
Dictatorial is from Latin dictator ('one who dictates, a magistrate with absolute power') plus the suffix -ial; dictator derives from dictare ('to say repeatedly, dictate'), a frequentative of dicere ('to say, speak'). Important recorded forms include dictator (Latin), dictare (Latin), dicere (Latin), and *deyḱ- (Proto-Indo-European). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers having unlimited power; domineering and overbearing in manner. The wider family includes derived forms such as dictatorially and dictatorialness and related words such as dictator, dictatorship, dictate, and diction.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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