theocrat

noun

theo·​crat ˈthē-ə-ˌkrat How to pronounce theocrat (audio)
1
: one who rules in or lives under a theocratic form of government
2
: one who favors a theocratic form of government

Examples of theocrat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The key question, perhaps, is whether senior Likud leaders will abandon Netanyahu and the coalition’s theocrats. Bernard Avishai, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023 Pence is a theocrat. Matthew Hennessey, WSJ, 2 Nov. 2020 The theocrats ruling Iran showed their fear of the popular movement when their security forces put down the demonstrations with live fire, killing hundreds, and arresting thousands. Abbas Milani, The New York Review of Books, 8 Jan. 2020 Acknowledging this fact does not require us to become theocrats or fascists in the state, nor socialists in the economy. Declan Leary, National Review, 19 Nov. 2019 Aside from Israel, Kurds are about the only American allies in the Middle East who predictably fight alongside our troops against Islamists, theocrats, and Baathists. Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, 15 Oct. 2019 In comparison, what AOC or Ilhan Omar says is mostly irrelevant, as is the most recent bombast abroad from an Iranian theocrat, a Russian functionary, or a Maoist in China. Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, 23 July 2019 The Iranian theocrats despise the Trump administration. Victor Davis Hanson, The Mercury News, 20 June 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'theocrat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of theocrat was in 1827

Dictionary Entries Near theocrat

Cite this Entry

“Theocrat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theocrat. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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