gerontocracy

noun

ger·​on·​toc·​ra·​cy ˌjer-ən-ˈtä-krə-sē 

plural gerontocracies

1

: government or control (as of a nation or organization) by people who are old

… a world … dogged by gerontocracy, one where the levers of political and economic power are firmly in the hands of unmovable boomers …

—Gian M. Volpicelli

2

: one that is governed or controlled by a gerontocracy

… the Vatican remains a gerontocracy where leadership is reserved for the elders …

—Martina Devlin

3

: the people who govern or control in a gerontocracy

… represents a diverse and disproportionately young coalition of voters but is led by a largely white gerontocracy.

—Andrew O'Hehir

gerontocrat

jə-ˈrän-tə-ˌkrat 

noun

gerontocratic

jə-ˌrän-tə-ˈkra-tik 

adjective

Examples of gerontocracy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In an era of gerontocracy and career politicians, Platner, the 40-year-old oysterman, is a breath of fresh air on the national political stage. —Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2025

Biya is far from an isolated example in Africa, which despite being the continent with the world's youngest population, boasts numerous gerontocracies. —Kate Bartlett, NPR, 11 Oct. 2025

Malawi election plagued by gerontocracy concerns Malawi’s former leader Peter Mutharika is poised to return to power in elections today that highlight the gerontocracy leading the world’s youngest continent. —semafor.com, 19 Sep. 2025

The Democratic Party has been criticized in recent years for maintaining a gerontocracy—being ruled by the elderly—instead of shifting direction with a new generation of voices. —Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French gérontocratie, from géronto- geronto- + -cratie -cracy

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for gerontocracy

• aristocracy
• meritocracy
• autocracy
• bureaucracy
• democracy
• hypocrisy
• plutocracy
• theocracy