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
Those being oligarchy and affordability.
—
ABC News, 21 Dec. 2025
Domestically, Roosevelt’s progressive reforms—breaking up dozens of monopolies, modifying railroad rates, setting aside public lands for conservation—cut against the long run of industrial oligarchy enjoyed by assorted oil, timber, and coal kings in collusion with their congressional retainers.
—Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025
Maybe the only thing worse than being complicit in an all-powerful corrupt oligarchy is being complicit in an increasingly less powerful corrupt oligarchy.
—Sam Lipsyte, Curbed, 15 Dec. 2025
Platner, a 41-year-old Marine with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, has nakedly cast his bid as a battle against the oligarchy and politics-as-usual complacency.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oligarchy
ABC News, 21 Dec. 2025
Domestically, Roosevelt’s progressive reforms—breaking up dozens of monopolies, modifying railroad rates, setting aside public lands for conservation—cut against the long run of industrial oligarchy enjoyed by assorted oil, timber, and coal kings in collusion with their congressional retainers.
—Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025
Maybe the only thing worse than being complicit in an all-powerful corrupt oligarchy is being complicit in an increasingly less powerful corrupt oligarchy.
—Sam Lipsyte, Curbed, 15 Dec. 2025
Platner, a 41-year-old Marine with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, has nakedly cast his bid as a battle against the oligarchy and politics-as-usual complacency.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oligarchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oligarchy
Noun
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The vast majority of deputies take pride in serving with honor and professionalism, but when individuals engage in misconduct or participate in deputy gangs or cliques that damage the reputation of the department, those actions cannot be tolerated.—
Sierra van der Brug,
Daily News,
4 May 2026
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The robber clique turns out to have its own bosses, too, as well as the most visible fractures in their unit.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Lorenz began building her millinery enterprise in 1938, living in a flat above her hat shop on London’s Great Portland Street to craft a millinery empire.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
10 May 2026
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For instance, Japan is the home of Hello Kitty, the little cartoon cat created in 1974 that launched an $80 billion empire.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
Noun
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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
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The political model encouraged by Russia also worsened the juntas’ situations, especially Mali’s, Riboua explained.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
10 May 2026
Noun
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The filmmaker explores how Inés’ coming of age mirrors the lingering wounds of Chile’s political transition to democracy from the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet – a theme at the heart of Martelli’s feature debut Chile ’76, which premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
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Many had argued that the banner, which largely meditates on the violence of the Suharto dictatorship in Indonesia, contained antisemitic caricatures.—
Harrison Jacobs,
ARTnews.com,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oligarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oligarchy. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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