oligarchy
a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few.
a state or organization so ruled.
the persons or class so ruling.
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Origin of oligarchy
1Words Nearby oligarchy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use oligarchy in a sentence
Paid social media’s oligarchy, made up of Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, may soon have to share the crown as competing social media platforms are getting a second look from advertisers.
Media buyers weigh in on the leaders and challengers on the social media landscape | Kimeko McCoy | August 25, 2021 | DigidayWorld history teaches that oligarchies are almost impossible to unwind except by war or violent revolution.
America's 1% Got Way Richer During the Pandemic. We Need a Onetime Wealth Tax to Help Rebuild the Country | Daniel Markovits | April 30, 2021 | TimeAs for immigration, the idea that those who want to tackle these problems are doing the bidding of a “corporate oligarchy” seeking cheap labor is not working-class straight talk, it’s insulting nonsense.
J.D. Vance’s Senate hopes reveal the problem with performative populism | Greg Sargent | March 19, 2021 | Washington PostThe central theme of your new book is that the American system presently finds itself in a conflict between “democracy versus oligarchy.”
The system is ‘rigged’: Robert Reich on the Supreme Court, economic inequality, and his Twitter beef with Elon Musk | reymashayekhi | October 12, 2020 | FortuneWhatever it takes, we need to find a way to get voters excited about cleaning up political spending before we go full oligarchy.
In the early 20th century, many progressives and populists, as well as a growing socialist movement, rose to oppose oligarchy.
Dawn of the Age of Oligarchy: the Alliance between Government and the 1% | Joel Kotkin | June 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTInstead we have witnessed the emergence of the Age of oligarchy.
Dawn of the Age of Oligarchy: the Alliance between Government and the 1% | Joel Kotkin | June 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTRussia and Ukraine under Yanukovych shared a single form of government – rule by a criminal oligarchy.
“Some say America is an oligarchy for the multinationals,” he said.
Vatican Science on Christmas and Creationism | Christopher Dickey | December 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe oligarchy was saved, but the struggle between rich and poor was by no means over.
Florence and Northern Tuscany with Genoa | Edward HuttonIt was an oligarchy of a few powerful whig noblemen, whose rule was supreme in England.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume IX | John LordHe limited the freedom of the citizens, and turned the old democratic constitution into an oligarchy.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume VI | John LordIn truth he had no popular sympathies, and leaned towards an aristocracy which was little short of an oligarchy.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume VI | John LordThe views he put forward were simply these: Ireland can no longer be governed by an oligarchy, however powerful.
The Knight Of Gwynne, Vol. II (of II) | Charles James Lever
British Dictionary definitions for oligarchy
/ (ˈɒlɪˌɡɑːkɪ) /
government by a small group of people
a state or organization so governed
a small body of individuals ruling such a state
mainly US a small clique of private citizens who exert a strong influence on government
Origin of oligarchy
1Derived forms of oligarchy
- oligarchic or oligarchical, adjective
- oligarchically, adverb
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
Cultural definitions for oligarchy
[ (ol-uh-gahr-kee, oh-luh-gahr-kee) ]
A system of government in which power is held by a small group.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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