1
as in clique
a small group of people who exercise control over a country, business, etc.
Critics complain that the government is now dominated by an oligarchy of wealthy businesspeople.
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2
as in empire
government that is controlled by a small group of people
The nation was an oligarchy with election results manipulated to maintain a permanent ruling class.
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Recent Examples of oligarchy
Congress has abdicated its power to an oligarchy of billionaires.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2026
For example, they might be classified by the number of rulers, thus distinguishing government by one (as in a monarchy or a tyranny) from government by the few (in an aristocracy or oligarchy) and from government by the many (as in a democracy).
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Such is the suffering of the lowly expendables, but spoils of war for the oligarchy of greed and power.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2026
Those being oligarchy and affordability.
—ABC News, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oligarchy
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2026
For example, they might be classified by the number of rulers, thus distinguishing government by one (as in a monarchy or a tyranny) from government by the few (in an aristocracy or oligarchy) and from government by the many (as in a democracy).
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Such is the suffering of the lowly expendables, but spoils of war for the oligarchy of greed and power.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2026
Those being oligarchy and affordability.
—ABC News, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oligarchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oligarchy
Noun
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Her class contained a very mean clique of girls.—
Emeline Atwood,
PEOPLE,
31 May 2026
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Corbett says that deputy gangs do not exist in the department, that in the past cliques and subgroups have existed, and that focus on the issue has eroded public trust and deputies’ morale.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Since last year, when the RSF overran parts of Darfur and Kordofan, the militia has commandeered the gum trade, integrating it into its smuggling empire and further starving government coffers.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
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Today, each sibling oversees a different part of the empire.—
Kevin Lim,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
Noun
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The military ruler, Olusegun Obasanjo, had sent soldiers to high schools across the country to enforce discipline, a measure of how successive juntas ruled the country.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 May 2026
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Mali, a former French colony long gripped by insurgency, is governed by a military junta following consecutive coups in 2020 and 2021.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
Noun
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Stolen from his Chilean mother as a baby and raised in suburban Chicago, 36-year-old Kyle Adler finally reunites with her, confronting an identity shaped by dictatorship-era trafficking.—
Vanessa A. Alvarez,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2026
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Every administration since the Marcos dictatorship has directed particular attention to the island of Negros, which has seen considerable NPA activity because of the area’s chronic struggles over land rights.—
Patrick Peralta,
The Conversation,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oligarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oligarchy. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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