dic·ta·tor

[dik-tey-ter, dik-tey-ter]
noun
1.
a person exercising absolute power, especially a ruler who has absolute, unrestricted control in a government without hereditary succession.
2.
(in ancient Rome) a person invested with supreme authority during a crisis, the regular magistracy being subordinated to him until the crisis was met.
3.
a person who authoritatively prescribes conduct, usage, etc.: a dictator of fashion.
4.
a person who dictates, as to a secretary.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin dictātor, equivalent to dictā(re) (see dictate) + -tor -tor

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To dictator
00:10
Dictator is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Collins
World English Dictionary
dictator (dɪkˈteɪtə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a.  a ruler who is not effectively restricted by a constitution, laws, recognized opposition, etc
 b.  an absolute, esp tyrannical, ruler
2.  (in ancient Rome) a person appointed during a crisis to exercise supreme authority
3.  a person who makes pronouncements, as on conduct, fashion, etc, which are regarded as authoritative
4.  a person who behaves in an authoritarian or tyrannical manner
 
dictatress
 
fem n
 
dictatrix
 
fem n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

dictator
late 14c., from L. dictator, agent noun from dictare (see dictate). Transf. sense of "one who has absolute power or authority" in any sphere is from c.1600. In Latin use, a dictator was a judge in the Roman republic temporarily invested with absolute power.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
You'd rather be a plaything of a celestial dictator than to be free.
But we also need classic, political biographies that focus on the dictator
  himself.
He has since sold himself as the indispensable dictator.
But he is also a ruthless tyrant and dictator who has brought economic decay.
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