oligarchy

American  

[ol-i-gahr-kee] / ˈɒl ɪˌgɑr ki /

noun

plural

oligarchies

1. a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few.

2. a state or organization so ruled.

3. the persons or class so ruling.

---

oligarchy British  

/ ˈɒlɪˌɡɑːkɪ /

noun

1. government by a small group of people

2. a state or organization so governed

3. a small body of individuals ruling such a state

4. a small clique of private citizens who exert a strong influence on government

---

oligarchy Cultural  

1. A system of government in which power is held by a small group.

---

Usage

What does oligarchy mean? Oligarchy is a term for a government in which power is held by a select few individuals or a small class of powerful people. This can mean that these few people are the actual leaders, or that they influence or control the decisions that the leaders make (that they’re the ones “pulling the strings” behind the scenes). Oligarchy is never used as an official term for a form of government (like monarchy is, for example)—it’s almost always applied as a criticism of such situations. It is frequently used as a way of pointing out the influence of the wealthy and powerful in politics and government—an influence that’s typically used to benefit themselves. A country that is thought to have an oligarchic government can also be referred to as an oligarchy, as in Many outsiders view the nation as an oppressive oligarchy.  Oligarchy can also refer to the class of people who have the power in this kind of system, as in The country was run by an oligarchy consisting of a few powerful industrialists. One of the select few who rules or influences leaders in an oligarchy can be called an oligarch. The word oligarch is especially associated with and applied to Russian figures  known for their wealth and political influence. These figures are frequently called Russian oligarchs and are sometimes referred to collectively as the Russian oligarchy.  Example: The members of just three families have run the country as an oligarchy for decades, serving only their own interests.

Other Word Forms

• oligarchic adjective
• oligarchically adverb

Etymology

Origin of oligarchy

First recorded in 1570–80; from Medieval Latin oligarchia, from Greek oligarchía. See olig-, -archy

Compare meaning

How does oligarchy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• oligarchy vs. monarchy
• autocracy vs. oligarchy

Explanation

Does it ever feel like just a few people have all the power? If it's a government that's run like this, it's an oligarchy. A country that has this form of government is an oligarchy too. The political term, oligarchy, comes to English from the Greek with its meaning intact — a form of government run by a small number of people such as wealthy landowners, royalty or powerful military figures. If you say that you can't fight the oligarchy, you mean the leaders of such a place. Sometimes the word refers to the few powerful people in charge of a large company or system. A financial oligarchy might try to block reform.

Example Sentences

Around this time, Greek observers began to use the word “Carthaginian,” and the monarchy was replaced by the oligarchy that would prevail for the rest of Carthage’s history.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

By that time, Russian oligarchy was well and truly dead, too.

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2025

“Mexico has a kind of oligarchy, and these families, they care so much about their appearance in society,” Boneta says.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2025

We need to think of oligarchs and oligarchy as being not the absence of democracy, but the presence of people who have tremendous wealth-power.

From Slate • Nov. 15, 2024

The families of the oligarchy forgot all about the barrel organ, and Marcos became the star attraction of the season.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

Related Words

• authoritarianism
• autocracy
• coercion
• cruelty
• despotism
• domination
• oppression
• terrorism
• totalitarianism