theocracy
[ thee-ok-ruh-see ]
/ θiˈɒk rə si /
noun, plural the·oc·ra·cies.
a form of government in which God or a deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler, the God's or deity's laws being interpreted by the ecclesiastical authorities.
a system of government by priests claiming a divine commission.
a commonwealth or state under such a form or system of government.
Nearby words
theobromine, theocentric, theocentricity, theoclymenus, theocon, theocracy, theocrasy, theocrat, theocratic, theocritus, theodicy
Related forms
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for theocracy
British Dictionary definitions for theocracy
theocracy
/ (θɪˈɒkrəsɪ) /
noun plural -cies
government by a deity or by a priesthood
a community or political unit under such government
Derived Forms
theocrat, nountheocratic or theocratical, adjectivetheocratically, adverbCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Culture definitions for theocracy
theocracy
[ (thee-ok-ruh-see) ]
A nation or state in which the clergy exercise political power and in which religious law is dominant over civil law. Iran led by the Ayatollah Khomeini was a theocracy under the Islamic clergy. (See Islam.)
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.