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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of theocracy
The Doom Slayer was a slave to capitalism in Doom (2016), the soft reboot that revived the franchise, and his now-origins as a slave to a religious theocracy sounds like something that could be cool as hell to explore.
—
Kazuma Hashimoto, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2025
The first of its two parts details the impacts of war and theocracy on both her family and her community: torture, death on the battlefield, constant raids, supply shortages and a growing black market.
—New York Times, 8 July 2024
The Testaments takes place in the dystopian theocracy of Gilead more than 15 years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2025
No such common cause binds Iran’s religious theocracy, Russia’s neoimperialist nationalism, the hereditary despotism of North Korea’s regime, and the blend of nationalism, Confucianism, and Marxism-Leninism that animates the Chinese Communist Party.
—Christopher S. Chivvis, Foreign Affairs, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for theocracy
Kazuma Hashimoto, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2025
The first of its two parts details the impacts of war and theocracy on both her family and her community: torture, death on the battlefield, constant raids, supply shortages and a growing black market.
—New York Times, 8 July 2024
The Testaments takes place in the dystopian theocracy of Gilead more than 15 years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2025
No such common cause binds Iran’s religious theocracy, Russia’s neoimperialist nationalism, the hereditary despotism of North Korea’s regime, and the blend of nationalism, Confucianism, and Marxism-Leninism that animates the Chinese Communist Party.
—Christopher S. Chivvis, Foreign Affairs, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for theocracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for theocracy
Noun
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The monarchy banned the Muslim Brotherhood a decade ago but officially licensed a splinter group and continued to tolerate the Islamic Action Front while restricting some its activities.—
Omar Akour,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
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That the United States is a democracy based on the rule of law and not a monarchy is part of its founding premise.—
Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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With these forces united, Ukraine had a better chance of negotiating an outcome that protects its own interests as well as those of Europe and democracies elsewhere in the world.—
Eric Green,
Time,
30 Apr. 2025
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The group's latest initiative continues its campaign of peaceful resistance, using the symbolism of May Day—a historic day of worker solidarity—to spotlight broader concerns about democracy and rising authoritarianism.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Apr. 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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May is the time to invest wisely, delegate responsibly, and set the foundations of your kingdom.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
1 May 2025
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The oil-rich kingdom has significantly increased defense spending since 2015, largely driven by its military involvement in Yemen against the Houthi rebels, alongside investments in modernization and advanced weaponry, including recent arms deals with the U.S. to bolster its capabilities.—
Mohammed Soliman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Oesterheld was kidnapped during the Argentine military dictatorship in 1977 and presumed dead, which turned the graphic novel into a symbol of resistance.—
Isadora Wandermurem,
Time,
1 May 2025
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This agreement created the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary, giving full governing autonomy to Hungary, which Franz Joseph had placed under a military dictatorship following Hungarian nationals’ failed bid for independence in 1848.—
Elizabeth Djinis,
Smithsonian Magazine,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Drawn out of his humble galley kitchen and into a world of diplomatic intrigue, Carême becomes a pawn in the cold war between Talleyrand, a Machiavellian schemer stabbing backs in the name of a newborn republic, and Fouché, a draconian lawman who mistrusts anything that moves.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
30 Apr. 2025
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The past holds many examples of great change: regimes ending, monarchies becoming republics, whole civilizations vanishing, ways of managing relations between peoples and states swept aside, to be replaced by new ones.—
Margaret MacMillan,
The Atlantic,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Theocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/theocracy. Accessed 12 May. 2025.
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