oligarchy
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Related to oligarchy: autocracy
oligarchy
government by the few: The citizens have no voice in an oligarchy.
Not to be confused with:
anarchy – the absence of laws or government: The fall of the empire was followed by chaos and anarchy.
aristocracy – rule by elite or privileged upper class: The governing body was composed of the country’s most powerful aristocracy.
democracy – government by the people: The United States is a democracy.
plutocracy – government in which the wealthy class rules: In a plutocracy, there is little regard for the poor.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
ol·i·gar·chy
(ŏl′ĭ-gär′kē, ō′lĭ-)n. pl. ol·i·gar·chies
1.
a. Government by a few, especially by a small faction of persons or families.
b. Those making up such a government.
2. A state governed by a few persons.
ol′i·gar′chic, ol′i·gar′chi·cal adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
oligarchy
(ˈɒlɪˌɡɑːkɪ)n, pl -chies
1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) government by a small group of people
2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a state or organization so governed
3. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a small body of individuals ruling such a state
4. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) chiefly US a small clique of private citizens who exert a strong influence on government
[C16: via Medieval Latin from Greek oligarkhia, from olígos few + -archy]
ˌoliˈgarchic, ˌoliˈgarchical, ˌoliˈgarchal adj
ˌoliˈgarchically adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ol•i•gar•chy
(ˈɒl ɪˌgɑr ki)n., pl. -chies.
1. a form of government in which power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique.
2. a state or organization so ruled.
3. the persons or class so ruling.
ol`i•gar′chic, ol`i•gar′chi•cal, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
oligarchy
1. a system of rule by a few persons.
2. the people who form such a government. — oligarch, n. — oligarchie, oligarchical, adj.
See also: Government2. the people who form such a government. — oligarch, n. — oligarchie, oligarchical, adj.
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
oligarchy
1. Government by a small faction or group of families, from Greek words meaning “a few” and “chief” or “principal.”
2. A form of government in which power is held by a small group of people.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
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Noun | 1. | oligarchy - a political system governed by a few people; "one of his cardinal convictions was that Britain was not run as a democracy but as an oligarchy"; "the big cities were notoriously in the hands of the oligarchy of local businessmen" form of government, political system - the members of a social organization who are in power |
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Translations
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
oligarchy
n → Oligarchie f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995