oligarchy

noun

ol·i·gar·chy ˈä-lə-ˌgär-kē

ˈō-

plural oligarchies

Synonyms of oligarchy next

: government by the few

The corporation is ruled by oligarchy.

: 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

An oligarchy ruled the nation.

: an organization under oligarchic control

That country is an oligarchy.

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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.

Example Sentences

Their nation is an oligarchy. An oligarchy rules their nation. The corporation is ruled by oligarchy.

Recent Examples on the Web Crassus kept his place in this three-man oligarchy called the ‘Three Headed Monster’ by continuing to use his financial power to balance the influence of his more acclaimed military partners. —

Peter Stothard, Time, 21 Dec. 2022 From an oligarchy to a democracy to a constitutional monarchy, there are many ways government can operate. —

Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2023 The oil industry feels like an oligarchy unmoored by normal supply and demand price fluctuations, ultimately to the disadvantage of consumers. —

Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2023 At a PINGOs meeting in 2000, there were impassioned complaints that PINGOs, supposedly acting for all of Tanzania’s pastoralists and hunter-gatherers, was really a Maasai oligarchy. —

Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023 Trump’s voters, seduced by their hero’s fake populism, are still governed by the oligarchy that preceded him, including Wall Street, the Pentagon, the corporate media, the heads of the two political parties, and—soon—the second coming of the Obama government. —

John R. MacArthur, Harper’s Magazine , 7 Dec. 2021 The hostility escalated, and remote L.A. was in the crosshairs of an unequal warfare between unions and workers, and a business oligarchy that demanded and got official help, like an anti-picketing ordinance that today would be tossed out as unconstitutional. —

Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2021 During the 1970s, as the conflict between El Salvador’s various leftist groups and its conservative oligarchy escalated, paramilitary forces began assassinating anyone who seemed to pose a political threat: labor leaders, human rights workers, schoolteachers, peasants, clergy. —

New York Times, 7 Apr. 2021 Like the Roman oligarchy, Musk’s rule at Twitter can similarly be mistaken for a democracy, because of its occasional polls and investor input. —

Peter Vanham, Fortune, 22 Dec. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oligarchy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of oligarchy was in 1542

See more words from the same year