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

For billions who live under monetary censorship, the real environmental hazard is kleptocracy. —Saul Hudson, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Oct. 2025

The National Endowment, run by a bipartisan board, makes small grants to groups that monitor elections, promotes free speech, and fights kleptocracy and authoritarian propaganda. —Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 14 Oct. 2025

But its blistering look at power and corruption remains intact, and is even more relevant as the world tilts towards kleptocracy. —Brent Lang, Variety, 1 Sep. 2025

These are the Russian dissidents Putin allegedly targeted at home and abroad for aggressively opposing his autocratic kleptocracy. —Andy Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 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