oligarchy

[ ol-i-gahr-kee ]
See synonyms for oligarchy on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural ol·i·gar·chies.
  1. 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.

  2. a state or organization so ruled.

  1. the persons or class so ruling.

Compare Meanings

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

Origin of oligarchy

1
First recorded in 1570–80; from Medieval Latin oligarchia, from Greek oligarchía. See olig-, -archy

Words Nearby oligarchy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use oligarchy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for oligarchy

oligarchy

/ (ˈɒlɪˌɡɑːkɪ) /


nounplural -chies
  1. government by a small group of people

  2. a state or organization so governed

  1. a small body of individuals ruling such a state

  2. mainly US a small clique of private citizens who exert a strong influence on government

Origin of oligarchy

1
C16: via Medieval Latin from Greek oligarkhia, from olígos few + -archy

Derived 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

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.