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kleptocracy

[ klep-tok-ruh-see ]
/ klɛpˈtɒk rə si /
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noun, plural klep·toc·ra·cies.
a government or state in which those in power exploit national resources and steal; rule by a thief or thieves.
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Origin of kleptocracy

1815–20; klepto- (combining form of Greek kléptēs thief) + -cracy

OTHER WORDS FROM kleptocracy

klep·to·crat [klep-tuh-krat], /ˈklɛp təˌkræt/, nounklep·to·crat·ic [klep-tuh-krat-ik], /ˌklɛp təˈkræt ɪk/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use kleptocracy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for kleptocracy

kleptocracy

cleptocracy

/ (ˌklɛpˈtɒkrəsɪ) /

noun plural -cies
informal a government where officials are politically corrupt and financially self-interested

Word Origin for kleptocracy

C20: from klepto (mania) + -cracy
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
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