Dictators

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of leaders holding absolute power over a nation, often ruling without democratic processes
2. Individuals or collectives that govern using authoritarian methods, frequently suppressing opposition and dissent
3. Rulers who exercise total control and authority, typically disregarding legal limitations and civil liberties

Etymology: In ancient Rome, a dictator was no tyrant in the modern sense. The office was a temporary emergency measure: in a crisis, the Republic could appoint a single chief magistrate with near-absolute power for a fixed term, usually six months, and then the post lapsed. The Latin "dictator" came from "dictare," meaning "to dictate" or "to prescribe," itself a frequentative of "dicere," "to say." The word therefore literally means "one who dictates." English borrowed the term directly from Latin, and it carried that original Roman sense of a chief magistrate with supreme authority. Old English had an earlier borrowing, "tictator," which also referred to the absolute ruler of the Roman Republic. The modern sense of an oppressive ruler who crushes dissent developed later, as the word was applied to rulers who seized power outside any constitutional limit.

Synonyms: tyrants, autocrats, oppressors

Antonyms: democrats, leaders