ZnO linear resistors, due to its excellent performance, are widely used in numerous industries and gradually replacing traditional conductive resistors, presenting a broad prospect for application. To study the effects of lanthanide oxides on the microstructure and electrical properties of ZnO-based linear resistors, this paper prepared Dy2O3-doped ZnO-Al2O3-TiO2-NiO based linear resistors using a solid-state sintering method. The results showed that proper doping of Dy2O3 could inhibit the growth of ZnO grains, leading to more uniform grain growth. Additionally, doped with appropriate amount of Dy2O3 could enhance the linear performance of ZnO linear resistors, reduce the grain boundary barrier height (φb), and decrease dielectric loss. Linear resistors with nonlinearity coefficient (α) of 1.07, grain boundary barrier height (φb) of 0.0934 eV and resistance-temperature coefficient (αT) of −5.39 × 10−3/°C were obtained. The doping of Dy2O3 could improve the comprehensive performance of ZnO linear resistors, making the fabricated ZnO linear resistors are more suitable for working in high frequency electric fields. The study and analysis of Dy2O3 doped ZnO linear resistors are of significant importance for the preparation of high performance ZnO linear resistors.