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
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
Osborn, a union man unafraid of confronting oligarchy, will once again campaign as an independent in next year’s senatorial race in Nebraska, hoping to unseat the billionaire incumbent, Pete Ricketts.
—Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
The American people do not want oligarchy, authoritarianism or attacks on Social Security, Medicaid or the VA.
—Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
In recent years, aided by his son, Sam (CEO of Dropout), the 79-year-old has developed an impressive social media following, warning of the perils of an unfettered oligarchy and rampant inequality.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oligarchy
Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Oct. 2025
Osborn, a union man unafraid of confronting oligarchy, will once again campaign as an independent in next year’s senatorial race in Nebraska, hoping to unseat the billionaire incumbent, Pete Ricketts.
—Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
The American people do not want oligarchy, authoritarianism or attacks on Social Security, Medicaid or the VA.
—Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
In recent years, aided by his son, Sam (CEO of Dropout), the 79-year-old has developed an impressive social media following, warning of the perils of an unfettered oligarchy and rampant inequality.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oligarchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oligarchy
Noun
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In the post-colonial era, Arab dictators established secular laws, but these legal systems favored the ruling clique.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
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Their parties became notorious even in my own cliques; my parents knew to expect at least a few dozen teenagers crashing their party, sucking down all the noodles, and sneaking beers in the canyon down below.—
Natasha Pickowicz,
Vogue,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In the years following Deng Xiaoping’s turn toward a capitalist economy, some Chinese intellectuals felt a kind of spiritual malaise; Deng’s reforms had failed to provide moral direction for a vast and proud former empire.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
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Western media reports also suggested the Mojtaba had used his position to amass enormous wealth, with some estimates suggesting a financial empire worth billions of dollars.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Activities by political parties have long been suspended in the country under the junta.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
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The dissidence of Minneapolis reminds me of the Argentinian mothers who found themselves in an impossible situation during the military junta of the late 1970s.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Its founder, Ayatollah Khomeini, established a religious dictatorship that subjugates the Iranian people under sharia law, while zealously exporting its dogma by force.—
Elan Journo,
Oc Register,
10 Mar. 2026
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Marta Díaz de Lope Díaz’s ‘Another League’ chronicles the defiant birth of women’s soccer in the waning years of Francisco Franco’s arcane dictatorship in early 1970s Spain – today the reigning world champions after winning the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023.—
Ed Meza,
Variety,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oligarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oligarchy. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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