theocracy

noun

Definition of theocracynext
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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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 theocracy That may get worse, as the IRGC has taken the leading role in the Shia theocracy. — Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026 Daisy, who grew up beyond the reaches of theocracy and maybe even religion, seems to understand this profoundly and instinctively. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 27 May 2026 The newly elevated leaders, including Ghalibaf, owe their power to the same authoritarian theocracy that sustained the Ayatollah’s regime. — Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2026 While The Testaments, too, is set within the separate women’s sphere of this hyperpatriarchal theocracy, its main characters sit at the top of that class system. — Judy Berman, Time, 8 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for theocracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for theocracy
  1. monarchy
  2. democracy
  3. monarchism
  4. kingdom
  5. dictatorship
  6. republic
Noun
  • It’s celebrated on July 14 because that’s the day Parisians stormed the Bastille fortress and prison in 1789, helping spark the French Revolution that overthrew the monarchy and sent King Louis XVI and his queen Marie-Antoinette to the guillotine.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026
  • Japan’s monarchy has for centuries maintained male-only succession, which is on-brand for a deeply patriarchal society where men dominate other spheres of life such as business and politics.
    — Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Definition of monarchy
Noun
  • So, democracy sometimes resembles kakistocracy, an actual word that means government by the least qualified.
    — George F. Will, Washington Post, 17 July 2026
  • As a result, another vital concern - Venezuela's return to democracy - has been put on hold.
    — John Otis, NPR, 16 July 2026
Definition of democracy
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of monarchism
Noun
  • Finding The Balance Between Automation And Connection The challenge for marketing leaders is using AI without handing over the keys to your brand kingdom.
    — Jenny Herbison, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • The kingdom is also looking to boost its role as a regional trade and logistics hub as part of its economic diversification plan, a strategy that could threaten the UAE’s role as the Gulf’s main trading center.
    — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 9 July 2026
Definition of kingdom
Noun
  • Imagine the charge, the potency, of Russell’s argument for free expressions and inquiry to subjects of a theocratic dictatorship.
    — Matt Thompson, SPIN, 8 July 2026
  • Library Hours Peruse the hardcovers at Livraria Ler, a haven for Lisbon literati since 1970 that, in its early years, secretly sold books banned by the country’s dictatorship.
    — Adam Erace, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026
Definition of dictatorship
Noun
  • Purges of the state bureaucracy and judiciary followed, while Erdogan whittled away at the Turkish republic’s secular foundations with his brand of religious nationalism.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 9 July 2026
  • Of course, the new republic was not always a haven for sober analysis.
    — Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
Definition of republic

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theocracy
theologies
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Cite this Entry

“Theocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/theocracy. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on theocracy

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about theocracy

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