kleptocracy

noun

klep·​toc·​ra·​cy klep-ˈtä-krə-sē 

plural kleptocracies

: government by those who seek chiefly status and personal gain at the expense of the governed

also : a particular government of this kind

kleptocrat

ˈklep-tə-ˌkrat 

noun

kleptocratic

ˌklep-tə-ˈkra-tik 

adjective

Examples of kleptocracy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

So Iran functions as somewhat of a kleptocracy, but also a heavily ideological one. —Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 24 June 2025

John Prendergast is co-founder of The Sentry, an investigative and policy organization that seeks to disrupt predatory networks that benefit from conflict, repression, and kleptocracy. —Nuri Kino, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025

These units boasted some of the finest experts in the world: experts on kleptocracy and how to combat it. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 19 Feb. 2025

In some cases, those in power manage to substitute kleptocracy and state violence for administration; for instance, in Venezuela, where first Hugo Chávez and then Nicolás Maduro destroyed a prosperous and functioning state. —Russell Muirhead, Foreign Affairs, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

klepto- + -cracy

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for kleptocracy

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