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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Although there is nothing uncommon about autocrats passing power to their children, Iran is a Shiite theocracy, and traditional Shiite philosophy strongly condemns hereditary rule.
—
Akbar Ganji, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2025
Later in April, Iranians voted to become an Islamic Republic, a Shiite theocracy with Khomeini as the country’s first supreme leader.
—Nasser Karimi, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2025
Azerbaijan, a majority Shia Muslim but staunchly secular country bordering Iran, has long clashed with the ayatollahs’ theocracy in Tehran.
—Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
Iran's theocracy views Radio Farda as a hostile outlet.
—Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 3 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for theocracy
Akbar Ganji, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2025
Later in April, Iranians voted to become an Islamic Republic, a Shiite theocracy with Khomeini as the country’s first supreme leader.
—Nasser Karimi, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2025
Azerbaijan, a majority Shia Muslim but staunchly secular country bordering Iran, has long clashed with the ayatollahs’ theocracy in Tehran.
—Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
Iran's theocracy views Radio Farda as a hostile outlet.
—Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 3 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for theocracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for theocracy
Noun
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During the Benjamin Harrison presidency, from 1889 to 1893, a U.S. diplomat to the islands joined forces with a U.S. naval captain to force upon the royal family a new Hawaiian constitution (quickly labeled the Bayonet Constitution) that favored the islands’ white establishment over the monarchy.—
Robert W. Merry,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
7 Mar. 2025
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Yet the overriding goal of the framers at the Constitutional Convention was to avoid creating an American version of the British monarchy, with a single, unaccountable ruler in charge of national policymaking, free to implement his vision at will.—
Claire B. Wofford,
The Conversation,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Among other behaviors, critical and independent thinkers are active citizens in their democracies.—
Eli Amdur,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
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Inside the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, vital support staff are gone, international partnerships have been strained, and workers are afraid to discuss threats to democracy that they’re now prohibited from countering.—
Eric Geller,
WIRED,
13 Mar. 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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In a kingdom where beauty is a brutal business, Elvira will compete with the beautiful and enchanting Agnes to become the belle of the ball.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2025
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By 1953, as decolonization swept the world, the Danish government, loath to give up ninety-eight per cent of its landmass, made Greenland a semi-autonomous part of its kingdom but retained de-facto control.—
Louise Bokkenheuser,
The New Yorker,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The movie recounts the experiences of Eunice Paiva and her family after her husband Rubens Paiva was taken into custody during the country’s military dictatorship.—
Eliana Dockterman,
TIME,
3 Mar. 2025
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That is quite an achievement for a film which is certainly not a popcorn movie, recording the real-life story of Eunice Pavia and her reinvention of herself and rebuilding of her family after her husband, Rubens Pavia, an opponent of Brazil’s military dictatorship, disappeared after arrest in 1971.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Take, for example, Trump’s mid-speech listing of the ages of people that the Social Security Administration believes to still be alive, including some seemingly as old as the republic itself.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Mar. 2025
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Since information is power, concentrating unprecedented data in the hands of a private entity with an explicit political agenda represents a profound challenge to the republic.—
Allison Stanger,
The Conversation,
6 Mar. 2025
Articles Related to theocracy
Cite this Entry
“Theocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/theocracy. Accessed 18 Mar. 2025.
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