autocracy

[ aw-tok-ruh-see ]

noun

, plural au·toc·ra·cies.

1. government in which one person has uncontrolled or unlimited authority over others; the government or power of an absolute monarch.
2. a nation, state, or community ruled by an autocrat.
3. unlimited authority, power, or influence of one person in any group.

autocracy

/ ɔːˈtɒkrəsɪ /

noun

1. government by an individual with unrestricted authority
2. the unrestricted authority of such an individual
3. a country, society, etc, ruled by an autocrat

autocracy

1. A system of government in which supreme political power is held by one person. ( Compare constitutional monarchy , democracy , and oligarchy .)

Notes

Iraq under Saddam Hussein is an autocracy.

Word History and Origins

Origin of autocracy¹

First recorded in 1645–55; from Greek autokráteia “power over oneself, sole power,” from autokrat(ḗs) autocrat + -eia -ia

Example Sentences

Oil and gas development has often been associated with autocracy and corruption.

From Time

India is now considered an “electoral autocracy” and a “partly free” country as its democratic credentials continue to plunge under Modi.

From Time

If we had to only rely on the government to tell us what it’s doing, we’d be living in an autocracy.

From Voice of San Diego

All the other countries involved in this really are autocracies.

From FiveThirtyEight

It is sobering that the United States in 2020 seems to have an audience for autocracy, a constituency for authoritarianism.

From Washington Post

The nature of the autocracy—that it was only answerable to itself—meant it could not draw its power from the people.

From The Daily Beast

Ortega has dismissed the allegations of autocracy and fraud that have afflicted his presidency as politically motivated.

From The Daily Beast

Autocracy is just a Russian bad habit, like smoking three packs of cigarettes a day and drinking a liter of vodka.

From The Daily Beast

The remaining two-thirds reacted to increasing anarchy in traditional Russian fashion, by increasing autocracy.

From The Daily Beast

It was a strange world, or seems so in retrospect, built as it was of equal parts meritocracy and autocracy.

From The Daily Beast

Against an autocracy as powerful as the Romanoff dynasty, rebels have never before contended.

From Project Gutenberg

The cancer of autocracy is eating into the vitals of Austria.

From Project Gutenberg

The collapse of the Prussian autocracy involved that of the lesser German potentates.

From Project Gutenberg

Discusses various programs for the change from industrial autocracy to industrial democracy.

From Project Gutenberg

The close relation between finance and general policy is most impressively illustrated in this failure of benevolent autocracy.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• despotism
• dictatorship
• oppression
• tyranny