autocracy

noun

au·​toc·​ra·​cy ȯ-ˈtä-krə-sē How to pronounce autocracy (audio)
plural autocracies
1
: the authority or rule of an autocrat
2
: government in which one person possesses unlimited power
3
: a community or state governed by autocracy

Examples of autocracy in a Sentence

the Magna Carta is historically important because it signified the British rejection of autocracy and constituted the first formal restraining of the power of the monarch
Recent Examples on the Web Trump, meanwhile, treated the prospect of autocracy as a big joke, and his supporters laughed along. Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024 Conspiracies threaten to take global society back to 1930s extremist concentrations of power through destructive pathways to autocracy. Roy Swan, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024 Democracy and autocracy were once seen as two separate and distant worlds with little in common, and that the triumph of one weakened the other. Cecilia Menjívar, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2024 And today, you were awarded alongside Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya the 2024 Lantos Human Rights Prize for your work fighting against tyranny and autocracy. Yasmeen Serhan, TIME, 15 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for autocracy 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'autocracy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

earlier, "self-control," borrowed from Greek autokrateîa "self-control, power over oneself," from autokratḗs "ruling by itself (of a mind), with sole authority (for a task)" + -ia -y entry 2 — more at autocrat

Note: The word acquired the present meaning under the influence of Latin autocratōr (from about the fifth century on) and Greek autokrátōr, meaning "with sole authority," and later by association with autocrat. See note at autocrat.

First Known Use

1659, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of autocracy was in 1659

Dictionary Entries Near autocracy

Cite this Entry

“Autocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autocracy. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

autocracy

noun
au·​toc·​ra·​cy ȯ-ˈtäk-rə-sē How to pronounce autocracy (audio)
plural autocracies
: government in which one person has unlimited power

More from Merriam-Webster on autocracy

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