Synonyms for dictatorship
Most common
All synonyms
Noun
1. Tyranny
tyranny, despotism, autocracy, absolutism, totalitarianism, authoritarianism, shogunate, iron fist, monocracy rare
Other
dictatory dated
Definitions
- n. 1
A type of government where absolute sovereignty is allotted to an individual or a small clique.
Related words
- Word family
- dictatorialism
- Phrases
- dictatorship of democracy
Forms
- Plural
- dictatorships → tyrannies, despotisms, autocracies, absolutisms…
Example sentences
- tyranny People in the country were living under a tyranny.
- autocracy Down with the police! Down with autocracy!
- despotism Property is the right to use & abuse; it engenders despotism.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| dictatorship | falling | |
| tyranny | steady | |
| autocracy | falling | |
| despotism | steady | |
| absolutism | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 7 letters
- tyranny3
- 9 letters
- autocracy4, despotism4, shogunate, monocracy, dictatory
- 10 letters
- absolutism5
- 15 letters
- totalitarianism8
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (tyranny3 = 3 syllables).