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.
—
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 May 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for oligarchy
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 May 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for oligarchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oligarchy
Noun
-
Social rescue arrives in the form of outgoing cool girl Sonya (Molloy), who takes a shine to Coley after a chance encounter in a coffee shop, and invites her to join her clique.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
17 June 2026
-
Under Meza, player cliques developed, stars were pampered, discipline waned.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
Noun
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Especially from a woman who’s apparently about to launch a crackah empire!—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
15 June 2026
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Elon Musk and SpaceX Elon Musk’s vast empire includes everything from from rockets to brain implants.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Noun
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The new season offers a bunch of new faces, because what the show needed was new characters, with James Norton the best of the lot as Ormund Hightower, an ally to the Alicent/Aemond/Aegon power junta whose own motivations are only slowly revealing themselves.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
15 June 2026
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China is one of a small number of countries to have endorsed Myanmar's recent election conducted by the military junta that carried out the 2021 coup, a vote that most Western countries and human rights groups have dismissed as a sham.—
Wai Moe,
NPR,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Public anger over Chun’s dictatorship led to massive nationwide protests in 1987, forcing him to accept a constitutional revision introducing direct presidential elections, which is widely seen as the start of South Korea’s transition to democracy.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 June 2026
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The trophy did not change any laws or soften the dictatorship’s grip on culture and society, but for 90 minutes at a time, none of that was the point.—
Julia Vargas Jones,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oligarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oligarchy. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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