dictatorship

Plural: dictatorships

Noun

• a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)
• A type of government where absolute sovereignty is allotted to an individual or a small clique.
• A government which exercises autocratic rule.
• Any household, institution, or other organization that is run under such sovereignty or autocracy.

Examples

• There were no elections during Franco's dictatorship.

Synonyms

absolutism, authoritarianism, Caesarism, despotism, monocracy, one-man rule, shogunate, Stalinism, totalitarianism, tyranny, autocracy

Related Words

dictatorialism