autocracy

noun

au·​toc·​ra·​cy ȯ-ˈtä-krə-sē 

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

Synonyms

• absolutism
• autarchy
• authoritarianism
• Caesarism
• czarism
• tsarism
• tzarism
• despotism
• dictatorship
• totalism
• totalitarianism
• tyranny

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

Following it all is independent journalist and Nobel Prize-winner Maria Ressa, with an eye toward the specter of increasing autocracy. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 Feb. 2025

Iranians want a full-fledged democracy, not an autocracy. —Akbar Ganji, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2025

Of course, democratic erosion is a problem all on its own; few Americans want to live in one of those hybrid regimes halfway between democracy and autocracy. —Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2025

Taken together, these overlapping layers of resistance make the path to autocracy far more challenging than many casual observers might assume. —Victor Menaldo, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2025

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

Rhymes for autocracy

• bureaucracy
• democracy
• hypocrisy
• plutocracy
• theocracy
• aristocracy
• meritocracy

Kids Definition

autocracy

noun

au·​toc·​ra·​cy ȯ-ˈtäk-rə-sē 

plural autocracies

: government in which one person has unlimited power