anocracy

[ uh-nok-ruh-see ]

noun

, plural a·noc·ra·cies

1. government that is a hybrid of democracy and autocracy, often as a transitional phase when one of these forms of government takes on characteristics of the other:

   Political scientists noted significant democratic reforms in the traditionally authoritarian regime’s evolution to anocracy.

2. a nation or state having such a form of government:

   Freedom of the press is one of the first pillars of democracy threatened in an anocracy’s slide toward totalitarianism.

Other Words From

• an·o·crat·ic [an-, uh, -, krat, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of anocracy¹

First recorded in 1970–75; an- ¹( def ) + -o- ( def ) + -cracy ( def )