oligarch

noun

ol·​i·​garch ˈä-lə-ˌgärk  ˈō- 

plural oligarchs

1

: a member or supporter of an oligarchy

2

in Russia and other countries that succeeded the Soviet Union : one of a class of individuals who through private acquisition of state assets amassed great wealth that is stored especially in foreign accounts and properties and who typically maintain close links to the highest government circles

But what does it really mean to be a Russian oligarch …? … in Russian politics, the term first came about in the 1990s to describe a dozen or so powerful men who amassed immense wealth following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

—The Business Insider

The task force will pool the resources of the countries' law enforcement divisions to track down the assets of Russian oligarchs stashed overseas, a difficult task complicated by the opaque or complicated financial instruments frequently used by Russian financial elites to hide their holdings from public view.

—Jeff Stein

… young Armenians, who joined the protests in droves, angry that the same small club of politicians and oligarchs has controlled the country since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

—Neil Macfarquhar

Examples of oligarch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In this sense, Musk is an autonomous rather than a dependent oligarch. —BÁlint Madlovics, Foreign Affairs, 10 Feb. 2025

And in Congress, Democratic lawmakers representing the party’s progressive and centrist wings alike have cast Musk as the chief architect, executor and beneficiary of the new administration, portraying him as an unelected oligarch who is steamrolling the Constitution and stealing from taxpayers. —Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025

Bondi also disbands a Biden-era foreign influence task force, which was aimed at seizing assets of Russian oligarchs as part of an effort to punish Russia for invading Ukraine. —Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 7 Feb. 2025

Bidzina Ivanishvili, an oligarch who had amassed his fortune in Russia, invested his considerable resources in establishing a political party to run against Georgia’s then-president, Mikheil Saakashvili, who faced allegations of corruption and political violence. —Anthony Borden, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Greek oligárchēs, from olig- olig- + -archēs -arch entry 1, after Greek oligarcheîsthai "to be ruled by an oligarchy," oligarchía oligarchy

First Known Use

circa 1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1