Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

technocracy

American  
[tek-nok-ruh-see] / tɛkˈnɒk rə si /

noun

  • technocracies
    plural
  1. a theory and movement, prominent about 1932, advocating control of industrial resources, reform of financial institutions, and reorganization of the social system, based on the findings of technologists and engineers.

  2. a system of government in which this theory is applied.

  3. any application of this theory.


technocracy British  
/ tɛkˈnɒkrəsɪ /

noun

  1. a theory or system of society according to which government is controlled by scientists, engineers, and other experts

  2. a body of such experts

  3. a state considered to be governed or organized according to these principles

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

technocracy 1 Cultural  
  1. The control of government and society by people with technical skills, especially engineers.


technocracy 2 Cultural  
  1. A type of society marked by the dominant role of people with specialized technical skills, particularly engineers.


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns


Etymology

Origin of technocracy

First recorded in 1919; techno- + -cracy


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Even before Labour's law change, the then-director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Paul Johnson, argued that we should be "highly cautious" about moving towards what he described as a "more powerful fiscal technocracy".

From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2025

However, the technocracy movement dates back to the 1930s, when it won thousands of followers and adopted some unnerving authoritarian hallmarks, such as its adherents dressing similarly and greeting each other with a specific salute.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2025

Like Muskism, technocracy took its inspiration from science fiction and rested on the conviction that technology and engineering can solve all political, social and economic problems.

From New York Times ● Nov. 4, 2021

As Virginia Postrel described technocracy in her insightful 1998 book The Future and Its Enemies, “Technocrats are ‘for the future,’ but only if someone is in charge of making it turn out to plan.”

From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2018

And without machinery and complex scientific technocracy there could be no weapons.

From The Skull by Philip K. Dick

This has resulted in a number of half-baked supremacists within the tech industry who advocate either for authoritarian technocracies or, more bizarrely, monarchy.

From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2019

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com