as in monarchy
a system of government in which there is only one ruler whose power is unlimited
Until its dissolution in 1991, the Soviet Union operated under a monocracy.
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Recent Examples of monocracy
The Biden administration justified its decision — or no decision — with the tired old rationalizations and justifications that the U.S. has been using for years to give the medieval monocracy a pass on human rights violations.
—
Ahmed Tharwat, Star Tribune, 1 Mar. 2021
Ahmed Tharwat, Star Tribune, 1 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monocracy
Noun
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But given that the regime swept to power to replace the Iranian monarchy, the Shiite clerical establishment may want to avoid father-to-son succession.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
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In the years after the monarchy was overthrown, the government required women to wear dark, long, baggy cloaks with socks and sensible shoes.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Then in January, the Iranian people by the millions took to the streets, demanding freedom and an end to the dictatorship which has tormented them since 1979.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
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The coup ended Iran’s first experiment with democracy and ushered in over two decades of dictatorship under the shah.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In 2012, Manbij became one of the first Syrian cities to wrest itself from the tyranny of the dictator Bashar al-Assad.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
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The last was King Charles I, who was tried and executed in 1649 for high treason and tyranny.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Putting private anguish and public witnessing into forceful tension, Paksa fashioned a productively ambivalent rubric for the artist under authoritarianism.—
Daniel R. Quiles,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
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Resistance against authoritarianism requires a revolution that goes beyond words.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But for anyone outside the British elite, the constitutional monarchism that emerged after the civil wars did not look much like democracy or true liberty.—
Andrew Cockburn,
Harper's Magazine,
20 Aug. 2024
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And the Decemberists tried to overthrow the Tsar and insist on having some of the more basic aspects of representative constitutional monarchism introduced into Russia.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Dec. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Monocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monocracy. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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