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
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Recent Examples of theocracy
Very few advocated for the kind of theocracy that eventually emerged and went on to repress all non-Islamists.
—
Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 5 Aug. 2025
Continued outreach only extends the life of a theocracy fundamentally opposed to democratic values.
—Tom Ridge, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 July 2025
No one’s shocked to see the dictatorships of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua lining up behind Iran’s repressive theocracy in its standoff with Israel.
—Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 20 June 2025
The group’s leadership has met multiple times with the leaders of Iran, an Islamic theocracy and Israel’s chief regional adversary, including former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who denied the Holocaust.
—Ben Sales, Sun Sentinel, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for theocracy
Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 5 Aug. 2025
Continued outreach only extends the life of a theocracy fundamentally opposed to democratic values.
—Tom Ridge, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 July 2025
No one’s shocked to see the dictatorships of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua lining up behind Iran’s repressive theocracy in its standoff with Israel.
—Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 20 June 2025
The group’s leadership has met multiple times with the leaders of Iran, an Islamic theocracy and Israel’s chief regional adversary, including former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who denied the Holocaust.
—Ben Sales, Sun Sentinel, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for theocracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for theocracy
Noun
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Khomeini sought to replace the monarchy with a religious state ruled by an Islamic jurist.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
4 Aug. 2025
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The country has for years been dominated by a conservative establishment comprising the military, the monarchy and influential elites.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
25 July 2025
Noun
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Something like that argument is being applied to gerrymandering, which is applying nuclear-level destruction to American democracy at both state and federal levels.—
Chicago Tribune,
Twin Cities,
16 Aug. 2025
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The target of this unprecedented mid-decade challenge to democracy is clear—Black and Latino voters whose growing numbers threaten to shift political power in a rapidly changing state.—
Martin Luther King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But a slave mentality remains deeply ingrained in Russian minds, along with a latent monarchism and paternalism.—
Nikita Petrov,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Dec. 2017
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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
Noun
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Set to begin production by year-end, the development comes as the kingdom looks to ramp up gas production for domestic use in order to free up more crude oil for sale abroad.—
Kelsey Warner,
semafor.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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However, budget overruns, operational complications and global oil market conditions have forced the kingdom to scale back or entirely shelve some of those projects, sources who have worked on Neom have told CNBC.—
Natasha Turak,
CNBC,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Instead, the Islamic Republic survives as a massively unpopular dictatorship, economically ruined, internationally isolated, and battered by both the U.S. and Israel.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
5 Aug. 2025
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This, in turn spawned totalitarian dictatorships and led to World War II.—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
29 July 2025
Noun
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From the Cossack republics of the 17th century to the Maidan uprising of 2014, Ukraine has consistently supported freedom and pluralism.—
Andy J. Semotiuk,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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Our nation has morphed far beyond the republic that the founders initially imagined.—
Joanna Allhands,
AZCentral.com,
4 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Theocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/theocracy. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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