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
Relevance
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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of oligarchy
In Du Bois’s telling, this was a national bargain; together, northern capital and southern oligarchy aligned to sacrifice Black citizenship for economic consolidation.
—
Zephyr Teachout, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 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
Zephyr Teachout, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 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
-
The final two members of the clique get fun, wholesome adventures.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
22 Dec. 2025
-
Drawing a little inspiration from the ballistic footwork grooves of DJ L and the dreaminess of Pi’erre Bourne, the production clique—composed of Maajins, sxprano, and ivvys—has pioneered a glitchy, intricate beatmaking style that takes a hacksaw to the standard patterns of rap percussion.—
Pitchfork,
Pitchfork,
10 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Late-aughts Hollywood was roiled by the financial crisis, and Paramount, the studio behind The Godfather and Titanic, was the struggling moviemaking arm of the Redstone family’s Viacom cable-TV empire.—
Reeves Wiedeman,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
-
But Paramount’s hostile takeover bid means that a giant question mark looms over the entire media empire.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
One example of the former was Argentina after the Peróns, which was led by a junta.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
-
China and Russia backers The United States and most Western countries have never recognized the junta as the legitimate government of Myanmar, and the election has been denounced by several governments in the region – including Japan and Malaysia.—
Ross Adkin,
CNN Money,
27 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
His socialist dictatorship, hostile to human life, crushed Venezuelans’ freedoms for years.—
Agustina Vergara Cid,
Oc Register,
7 Jan. 2026
-
One of his uncles had been part of the resistance to the right-wing military dictatorship that controlled Greece between 1967 and 1974.—
Naaman Zhou,
New Yorker,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oligarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oligarchy. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share