a form of government in which a single person (called a dictator) or a small group of people hold(s) absolute power, an administration in which one person holds absolute power, or a country ruled by this form of government;
e.g. A country often turns into a dictatorship before a revolution occurs to overthrow the government.
(noun)
the office the person at the head of a government who holds absolute power, the position of a dictator, or the rule of such a person;
e.g. He exerted a harsh dictatorship over the country's people.