oligarchic

adjective

ol·​i·​gar·​chic ˌä-lə-ˈgär-kik 

ˌō-

variants or oligarchical

ˌä-lə-ˈgär-ki-kəl 

ˌō-

: of, relating to, or based on an oligarchy

Examples of oligarchic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Western governments widely viewed her imprisonment as selective justice, a prison sentence that recast her from oligarchic insider into democratic martyr. —Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026

Bezos has sent a procession of compliant signals: replacing the Post’s leadership and its writers for its editorial page with more conservative figures, spiking the newspaper’s presidential endorsement, and appearing at Trump’s inauguration in a Putin-esque display of oligarchic cooperation. —Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 14 Jan. 2026

In 2025, protesters were not just rejecting oligarchic rot, but also reaffirming their long-standing frustration over India’s role in sustaining it. —Muhib Rahman, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2025

Sweeney also paraded around in Venice at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s oligarchic wedding, despite only being there to secure a business investment. —Martha Ross, Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, Medieval Latin & Greek; French oligarchique, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Medieval Latin oligarchicus, borrowed from Greek oligarchikós, from oligarchía oligarchy + -ikos -ic entry 1

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for oligarchic

• anarchic
• hierarchic