1
as in monarchy
a system of government in which a religious body holds unlimited power
Under a theocracy, an entire nation officially follows one religion.
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2
as in democracy
a group of people who live in a territory ruled by a religious body
The country was a theocracy governed by religious leaders.
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Recent Examples of theocracy
Many women could be seen going about their day without wearing the theocracy’s mandatory head covering, the enforcement of which has eased in recent years.
—
Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
By definition, regime change is systemic change – something that has yet to be seen in the Islamic Republic, which remains under the same authoritarian theocracy that has been in place since the Iranian Revolution in 1979.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
As such, the system that initially emerged in 1979 was neither a pure theocracy nor a conventional republic.
—Roxane Razavi, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2026
Trump’s motivation for entering the war has been scattered, mostly bouncing between overthrowing Iran’s totalitarian theocracy and eliminating the nation’s nuclear capability.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for theocracy
Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
By definition, regime change is systemic change – something that has yet to be seen in the Islamic Republic, which remains under the same authoritarian theocracy that has been in place since the Iranian Revolution in 1979.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
As such, the system that initially emerged in 1979 was neither a pure theocracy nor a conventional republic.
—Roxane Razavi, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2026
Trump’s motivation for entering the war has been scattered, mostly bouncing between overthrowing Iran’s totalitarian theocracy and eliminating the nation’s nuclear capability.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for theocracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for theocracy
Noun
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The small Persian Gulf island nation is led by a Sunni Muslim monarchy but, like Iran, has a majority Shiite population.—
Adam Schreck,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
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Bahrain is led by a Sunni Muslim monarchy but, like Iran, has a majority Shiite population.—
Adam Schreck,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
Noun
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Critics of gerrymandering have cast the moment as a major test of democracy in American politics.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
10 May 2026
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New governing party turns toward the EU Magyar has promised to repair his country's ties with the EU, which Orbán had pushed to a breaking point, and to restore Hungary's place among Western democracies, whose standing had been called into question as Orbán drifted ever closer to Russia.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
Noun
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But for anyone outside the British elite, the constitutional monarchism that emerged after the civil wars did not look much like democracy or true liberty.—
Andrew Cockburn,
Harper's Magazine,
20 Aug. 2024
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And the Decemberists tried to overthrow the Tsar and insist on having some of the more basic aspects of representative constitutional monarchism introduced into Russia.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Dec. 2022
Noun
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Years ago, a Saudi royal court official reprimanded me for describing the kingdom as a land of conditional opportunity.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
7 May 2026
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Yet all around the struggling center of Ross’ kingdom is opulence, wealth, success.—
Greg Cote
May 7,
Miami Herald,
7 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
Noun
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When our First Amendment rights are trampled, when politicians in both parties put their thumbs on the scale through gerrymandering, our republic is damaged.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
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Musgraves similarly aims to be a republic of one.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Theocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/theocracy. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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