dictator
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dictator
A person who rules with unlimited power and often obtains and maintains that power through violence.
Der Diktator unterdrückte jede Form von Opposition im Land.
The dictator suppressed every form of opposition in the country.
dictator
A person who behaves in an authoritarian and domineering way in a particular area.
In der Firma gilt der Chef als kleiner Diktator, weil er alles allein entscheidet.
In the company, the boss is considered a little dictator because he decides everything on his own.
The word 'Diktator' is closely related to the verb 'diktieren' (to dictate; to order) and the noun 'die Diktatur' (dictatorship, a form of rule). All the words have the Latin origin 'dictare', which means 'to say' or 'to command'.
In einer Diktatur hat das Volk keine Macht.
In a dictatorship, the people have no power.
'Diktator' belongs to the N-declension. This means it gets the ending '-en' in the accusative, dative, and plural. Only in the nominative singular and genitive singular does it not have an '-en' ending.
Das Volk protestierte gegen den Diktator.
The people protested against the dictator.
In a political context, 'Diktator' is often used with verbs such as 'herrschen' (to rule), 'an die Macht kommen' (to come to power), or 'stürzen' (to overthrow). Typical adjectives are 'grausam' (cruel), 'skrupellos' (ruthless), or 'ehemalig' (former).
Das Militär half dem Diktator, an die Macht zu kommen.
The military helped the dictator come to power.
You can recognize the figurative meaning from the context. If the word is used in an everyday setting such as the family, a sports club, or work, it usually refers to a domineering person who is not politically powerful.
Mein alter Trainer war ein echter Diktator, aber wir haben viel von ihm gelernt.
My old coach was a real dictator, but we learned a lot from him.
ruler
Diktator and Machthaber refer to people with political power and can both have negative overtones. A Diktator rules as a single person with unlimited power. Machthaber is broader and can also refer to several people ruling together, without clearly defining their rule as a dictatorship.
Nach dem Umsturz regiert ein einzelner Diktator mit unbegrenzter Macht.
After the coup, a single dictator rules with unlimited power.
Nach dem Umsturz teilen mehrere Machthaber die politische Macht unter sich auf.
After the coup, several rulers divide the political power among themselves.
