oligarchy

noun ol·i·gar·chy \ ˈä-lə-ˌgär-kē , ˈō- \

|Updated on: 7 Jun 2018

Examples: oligarchy in a Sentence

Editor's Note: oligarchy and Other Words for Rulers

Definition of oligarchy

plural oligarchies

1 : government by the few

The corporation is ruled by oligarchy.

2 : a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes

a military oligarchy was established in the country

; also : a group exercising such control

An oligarchy ruled the nation.

3 : an organization under oligarchic control

That country is an oligarchy.

See oligarchy defined for English-language learners

See oligarchy defined for kids

Examples of oligarchy in a Sentence

Their nation is an oligarchy.
An oligarchy rules their nation.
The corporation is ruled by oligarchy.

Recent Examples of oligarchy from the Web

The oligarchy in this country, whose greed is insatiable, is destroying Lincoln's vision of America, is destroying our vision of America, and is moving us in a direction of the few, by the few, for the few.

— evan halper, latimes.com, "Democrats vie to impress the party’s elite, and audition for the 2020 presidential race," 15 May 2018
Armenians have seen their country, once the poster child for democratization after the collapse of the Soviet Union, stagnate in the hands of an entrenched oligarchy while many citizens choose to leave, Broers said.

— sheena mckenzie gianluca mezzofiore, CNN, "Protests in Armenia after opposition leader's power bid blocked," 2 May 2018
Further, Trump’s presidency shows that corporate oligarchies and autocratic politics go hand-in-hand in America no less than in Russia.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "Trump’s Amazon Trap," 4 Apr. 2018
Vargas Llosa’s call to reduce state subsidies terrified many of these citizens, as did his connections to the rich, white elite that dominated Peru like an oligarchy.

— marcela valdes, New York Times, "The Elder Statesman of Latin American Literature — and a Writer of Our Moment," 20 Feb. 2018
In 2018, Abrams is running against hate, despair and an oligarchy that has turned the White House into a kleptocracy.

— terrell jermaine starr, The Root, "In the Race for Georgia Governor, Can Stacey Abrams Usher In a New Southern Strategy for the Democrats?," 17 Jan. 2018
The most serious native challenge to liberalism, made by the slaveholding oligarchy of the Old South, was crushed on the battlefield, and, despite the efforts of an ever-dwindling number of apologists, morally anathematized.

— park macdougald, Daily Intelligencer, "Has the Operating System for the Western World Crashed?," 27 Feb. 2018
Law and Justice says voters sent them to shake up a stagnant oligarchy whose elites, including Supreme Court judges, haven’t been answerable to the public.

— drew hinshaw, WSJ, "Poland’s High-Court Move Unnerves EU, but Not Many Voters," 22 July 2017
What these representative structures never resolved was the question of how much economic inequality was necessary to make the system work and how much might flip it into oligarchy, threatening its very foundations.

— duncan kelly, New York Times, "When Democracy Dies Not in Darkness but in Dysfunction," 3 Nov. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oligarchy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

oligarchy and Other Words for Rulers

Oligarchy is one of numerous English words for a type of rule or government. Some of these words, such as plutocracy, have an exceedingly similar meaning (both may be used to refer to rule by an economic elite, but oligarchy often has the additional connotation of corruption). Besides these two, we have meritocracy “a system in which the talented are chosen and moved ahead on the basis of their achievement,” monarchy “a form of government in which a country is ruled by a king or queen,” ochlocracy “government by the mob," and gerontocracy “rule by elders,” among many others.

First Known Use of oligarchy

1542

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

OLIGARCHY Defined for English Language Learners

oligarchy

noun

Definition of oligarchy for English Language Learners

: a country, business, etc., that is controlled by a small group of people
: the people that control a country, business, etc.
: government or control by a small group of people

Learn More about oligarchy

See words that rhyme with oligarchy Spanish Central: Translation of oligarchy Nglish: Translation of oligarchy for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about oligarchy

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oligarchy

Definition of oligarchy

Examples of oligarchy in a Sentence

Recent Examples of oligarchy from the Web

oligarchy and Other Words for Rulers

First Known Use of oligarchy

Other Government and Politics Terms

OLIGARCHY Defined for English Language Learners

oligarchy

Definition of oligarchy for English Language Learners

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