theocracy

noun

the·​oc·​ra·​cy thē-ˈä-krə-sē 

plural theocracies

1

: government of a state by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided

2

: a state governed by a theocracy

Examples of theocracy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For while historic animosities fuel the fighting, Sudan is yet another proxy conflict between the Middle East’s squabbling theocracies, with Qatar and Iran major backers of the Sudanese government, and the UAE bankrolling the RSF, according to U.N. sanctions monitors. —Charlie Campbell, Time, 4 Sep. 2025

The purpose of Iran is Shiite theocracy, for its own sake and as a counterweight to democratic, secular, and Sunni governments allied with the United States in the region. —Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025

Khamenei’s public absence throughout the conflict and his raspy speech in its aftermath have prompted speculation about his health and the theocracy’s continuity of leadership. —Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2025

Any sense that history trends in a general direction—toward freedom, perhaps, or toward rights, markets, secularism, or science—is confounded by a large, prosperous country becoming a hard-line semi-theocracy. —Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Greek theokratia, from the- + -kratia -cracy

First Known Use

1622, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for theocracy

• autocracy
• bureaucracy
• democracy
• hypocrisy
• plutocracy
• aristocracy
• meritocracy

Kids Definition

theocracy

noun

the·​oc·​ra·​cy thē-ˈäk-rə-sē 

plural theocracies

1

: government of a country by officials believed to have divine guidance

2

: a country governed by a theocracy