Was gaddafi a dictator

Yes, but he came to a bad end as he should have expected.

Any leader who has absolute power under a police state is a dictator. When there is no court system, no personal freedoms, a rich ruling family with a poor population. But sometimes dictators don't get to live out their lives in luxury and power. Gaddafi went the way of Hitler, Mussolini, and most recently Saddam.