Synonyms of oligarchy

oligarchy

noun

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.

Related Words

• clique
• junta
• network
• syndicate
• coterie
• team
• mob
• clan
• crowd
• Mafia
• club
• cabal
• conspiracy
• circle
• coven
• gang
• set
• galère
• bunch
• crew
• pack
• lot
• ring

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.

Related Words

• empire
• dictatorship
• monarchy
• triumvirate
• sovereign
• republic
• theocracy
• nation-state
• monocracy
• kingdom
• city-state
• dyarchy
• domain
• dominion
• principality
• duumvirate
• triarchy
• colony
• dependency
• duchy
• realm
• ministate
• sultanate
• settlement
• province
• microstate
• mandate
• dukedom
• emirate
• soil
• superpower
• fatherland
• trust territory
• homeland
• condominium
• client state
• seigniory
• sea power
• great power
• world power
• motherland
• state
• commonwealth
• nation
• power
• welfare state
• country
• sovereignty
• land

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of oligarchy

Breaking the hold of tech and financial oligarchies, including a ban on algorithmic wage-setting, ensures that AI does not become a tool for gutting the middle class. — Sarita Gupta, Time, 2 June 2026

His new movie, about a wealthy Moscow family, is both an erotic thriller and an indictment of amoral oligarchy detached from the war with Ukraine. — Film Editor, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2026

The open-source software movement, partly a political project to protect the freedom to tinker and prevent corporate oligarchies from stifling innovation, would become a cornerstone of the technology industry. — Jonathan Weber, Fortune, 19 May 2026

Congress has abdicated its power to an oligarchy of billionaires. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2026