Synonyms of theocracy

theocracy

noun

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.

Related Words

• monarchy
• monarchism
• dictatorship
• tyranny
• autocracy
• monocracy
• despotism
• totalitarianism
• authoritarianism
• absolutism
• autarchy
• Caesarism
• totalism
• czarism

Dissimilar Words

• democracy
• freedom
• self-government
• self-rule
• self-governance
• sovereignty
• autonomy
• self-determination

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.

Related Words

• democracy
• monarchy
• kingdom
• republic
• dictatorship
• province
• sultanate
• principality
• sovereign
• oligarchy
• state
• nation
• nation-state
• domain
• empire
• monocracy
• dominion
• realm
• country
• colony
• city-state
• dependency
• mandate
• ministate
• settlement
• duchy
• homeland
• microstate
• soil
• dukedom
• trust territory
• fatherland
• commonwealth
• superpower
• emirate
• condominium
• sea power
• world power
• great power
• seigniory
• motherland
• welfare state
• client state
• land
• power
• sovereignty

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of theocracy

The Basij run a nationwide network of volunteers who maintain a presence in the streets, government offices and cultural centers, seeking to ensure loyalty and ideological purity for Iran’s theocracy. — Lee Keath, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026

One of the things that was mentioned early on was a change in the regime there, an uprising by the Iranian people against this Islamic theocracy, which has long had control. — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

That truce, born from the scars of Europe’s bloody religious wars and America’s own colonial theocracies, was deemed unbreakable, but Falwell was making inroads toward prying it apart. — Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026

Its story takes place in an entirely different corner of Atwood’s fictional theocracy — the world of relatively privileged teen girls only gradually experiencing a feminist awakening. — Matt Minton, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026