oligarchy

noun

ol·​i·​gar·​chy ˈä-lə-ˌgär-kē  ˈō- 

plural oligarchies

1

: government by the few

a choice between democracy and oligarchy

… the Greeks knew that social inequality was the route through which democracy turns to oligarchy.

—Charles P. Pierce

… oligarchy does have an economic element to it; in fact, it is explicitly economic. Oligarchy is the rule of the few, and these few have been understood since Aristotle's time to be men of wealth, property, nobility, what have you.

—Michael Tomasky

2

: a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes

A military oligarchy was established in the country.

also : a group exercising such control

the country's ruling oligarchy

Money from vast reserves of natural gas and oil flows to the oligarchy …

—Roger Cohen

3

: a group or organization that is controlled by a privileged few

The once vibrant ecosystem of diverse builders and entrepreneurs gradually gave way to an oligarchy, where big corporations devoured smaller enterprises.

—Chris Gallagher

These men are gifts to the tennis world. … But you have to wonder where the challengers are. Consider this: Djokovic will likely reach the final without facing a player ranked in the top 20. So much for a next generation of players ready to unseat the oligarchy.

—L. Jon Wertheim

Did you know?

Oligarchy and Other Words for Rulers

Oligarchy is one of numerous English words for a type of rule or government. Some of these words, such as plutocracy, have an exceedingly similar meaning (both may be used to refer to rule by an economic elite, but oligarchy often has the additional connotation of corruption). Besides these two, we have meritocracy “a system in which the talented are chosen and moved ahead on the basis of their achievement,” monarchy “a form of government in which a country is ruled by a king or queen,” ochlocracy “government by the mob," and gerontocracy “rule by elders,” among many others.

Examples of oligarchy in a Sentence

Their nation is an oligarchy.

An oligarchy rules their nation.

The corporation is ruled by oligarchy.

Recent Examples on the Web

Platner, a 41-year-old Marine with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, has nakedly cast his bid as a battle against the oligarchy and politics-as-usual complacency. —Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Oct. 2025

In Du Bois’s telling, this was a national bargain; together, northern capital and southern oligarchy aligned to sacrifice Black citizenship for economic consolidation. —Zephyr Teachout, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2025

Osborn, a union man unafraid of confronting oligarchy, will once again campaign as an independent in next year’s senatorial race in Nebraska, hoping to unseat the billionaire incumbent, Pete Ricketts. —Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025

The American people do not want oligarchy, authoritarianism or attacks on Social Security, Medicaid or the VA. —Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French, Late Latin & Greek; Middle French oligarchie, borrowed from Late Latin oligarchia, borrowed from Greek oligarchía, from olig- olig- + -archia -archy

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for oligarchy

• hierarchy
• matriarchy
• patriarchy
• arche
• sparky
• autarky
• menarche

Kids Definition

oligarchy

noun

oli·​gar·​chy

ˈäl-ə-ˌgär-kē,

ˈō-lə-

plural oligarchies

1

: government by the few

2

: a government in which a small group exercises control

also : a group exercising such control

3

: an organization controlled by a small group