tin-pot dictator
Syllables: tin-pot dic·ta·tor/ˌtɪnpɒt dɪkˈteɪtə/US/ˌtɪnˌpɑt ˈdɪkˌteɪtəɹ/
tin-pot dictator noun: an autocratic ruler with little political credibility, typically having delusions of grandeur.
Noun
tin-pot dictator (plural tin-pot dictators)
- An autocratic ruler with little political credibility, typically having delusions of grandeur.
- Broder did mention in passing that the Reagan administration had earlier supported the "tin-pot dictator" and drug trader Manuel Noriega, but he never mentioned George Shultz's presence and sanctioning of the fraudulent Panamanian election of 1984, which left Noriega in charge.1995, Edward S. Herman, Triumph of the Market: Essays on Economics, Politics, and the Media, South End Press, →ISBN, page 197
- Africa has no more tolerance for tinpot dictators.2022 January 18, Jay Naidoo, “The naked emperor: We must act now on the dystopian dream of Eswatini’s tinpot dictator”, in Daily Maverick
Forms of tin-pot dictator
| plural | tin-pot dictators |
|---|---|
| alternative form | tinpot dictator |
| alternative form | tin pot dictator |
Origin of tin-pot dictator
From tin-pot (“of inferior quality, shoddy; insignificant or minor, especially in an amusing and petty manner”) + dictator, referring to the cheapness and poor quality of pots made from tin or tin plate.
Words formed from tin-pot dictator
Words that rhyme with tin-pot dictator
- translator
- alligator
- vibrator
- freighter
- terminator
- waiter
- crater
- curator
- gaiter
- incubator
- plater
- pulsator
48 more rhymesFewer rhymes
- skater
- cater
- collator
- creator
- dictator
- equator
- escalator
- greater
- later
- relator
- rotator
- collimator
- dilator
- excavator
- frater
- gator
- inflater
- locator
- narrator
- palpator
- saeter
- slater
- traitor
- viator
- awaiter
- baiter
- citator
- corrugator
- dater
- deflator
- dominator
- emasculator
- glossator
- gyrator
- hater
- hydrator
- legator
- levator
- mandator
- mater
- migrator
- negator
- nitrator
- plaiter
- procreator
- spectator
- tater
- titrator
Questions about tin-pot dictator
- What does tin-pot dictator mean?
- Tin-pot dictator means an autocratic ruler with little political credibility, typically having delusions of grandeur.
- What part of speech is tin-pot dictator?
- Tin-pot dictator is a noun.
- How do you pronounce tin-pot dictator?
- Tin-pot dictator is pronounced /ˌtɪnpɒt dɪkˈteɪtə/ (UK).
- What is the plural of tin-pot dictator?
- The plural of tin-pot dictator is tin-pot dictators.
Words near tin-pot dictator in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: tin-pot dictator (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-tin-pot dictator.wav.
Cite this entry: “tin-pot dictator.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/tin-pot_dictator. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.