What title meaning 'dictator for life' did Caesar hold?

The title meaning “dictator for life” that Caesar held was dictator perpetuo. The Latin phrase is often translated more literally as “dictator in perpetuity.” Caesar received the title in early 44 BC after earlier appointments as dictator had been temporary or limited in duration.

The Roman dictatorship was originally an emergency magistracy with a restricted term, usually intended to address a specific crisis. Caesar’s appointment removed that time limit and made his extraordinary authority effectively permanent. It followed his victories in the civil war and a series of honors granted by the Senate after he defeated Pompey’s supporters.

The title alarmed senators who feared Caesar intended to become a king. Although Caesar publicly rejected a diadem offered by Mark Antony, his concentration of power helped motivate the conspiracy that killed him on 15 March 44 BC, less than two months after he became dictator perpetuo.

Imperator was a military honorific, not the specific title meaning dictator for life. “Princeps senatus” referred to the leading senator, while “consul perpetuo” was not Caesar’s official title.