Word.ws English Dictionary

tinpot dictator

tinpot dictator is the alternative spelling of tin-pot dictator.

Meaning of tin-pot dictator

Noun

tin-pot dictator (plural tin-pot dictators)

  1. (derogatory) 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

Forms of tinpot dictator

pluraltinpot dictators

Questions about tinpot dictator

What is tinpot dictator the alternative spelling of?
Tinpot dictator is the alternative spelling of tin-pot dictator.

Words near tinpot dictator in the dictionary

  1. tinplater
  2. tinplaters
  3. tinplates
  4. tinplating
  5. tinpot
  6. tinpot dictator
  7. tinpot dictators
  8. tinpots
  9. tins
  10. tinsel
  11. tinsel lily

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: tinpot dictator (page history and authors); 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.

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