kakistocracy

American  

[kak-uh-stok-ruh-see] / ˌkæk əˈstɒk rə si /

noun

kakistocracies plural

1. government by the worst persons; a form of government in which the worst persons are in power.

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Usage

What does kakistocracy mean? A kakistocracy is a government in which the worst people are in charge. This obscure word is used in political commentary, especially to call out a government considered corrupt or incompetent. Example: If you don’t vote, you’re basically asking for a kakistocracy, because of course the worst people want to be in power.

Other Word Forms

• kakistocratical
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of kakistocracy

1820–30; < Greek kákisto ( s ), superlative of kakós bad + -cracy

Explanation

A government run by the least qualified people can be called a kakistocracy. The term kakistocracy first appeared in the 17th century, coined from the Greek kakistos, "worst," and -cracy, "rule by," which is used in words like aristocracy and democracy. It's often used to disparage governments that are seen as inept, corrupt, or both. If a president appointed her close friends and relatives to fill all the most important cabinet jobs, despite their lack of experience, it would be an example of kakistocracy.

Example Sentences

As business professor André Spicer described it in a Guardian op-ed, a kakistocracy is "the wicked disorder that can result when expertise and ethical judgment are aggressively and systematically pushed aside."

From Salon • May 24, 2019

The first recorded use of kakistocracy was in a sermon, delivered in 1644 by Paul Gosnold.

From The Guardian • Apr. 18, 2018

This time, however, kakistocracy blew up the charts, with dictionary searches spiking nearly 14,000 percent after Brennan’s tweet.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 13, 2018

What would it look like to live under a kakistocracy, Greek for “government by the worst men”?

From Slate • Nov. 18, 2016

Thus matters will go on, until universal anarchy, or kakistocracy, the government of the worst, is fully established.

From Cotton is King, and Pro-Slavery Arguments Comprising the Writings of Hammond, Harper, Christy, Stringfellow, Hodge, Bledsoe, and Cartrwright on This Important Subject by Elliott, E. N.