1
as in cliques
a small group of people who exercise control over a country, business, etc.
Critics complain that the government is now dominated by an oligarchy of wealthy businesspeople.
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2
as in empires
government that is controlled by a small group of people
The nation was an oligarchy with election results manipulated to maintain a permanent ruling class.
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oligarchies
Noun
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At the Dallas Street property, small cliques of armed men, mostly Venezuelans and Mexicans, fought an ongoing turf war.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025 -
And there's hierarchy and cliques and clubs and all these different things.—
H. Alan Scott
Jennifer Cunningham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Drawing on his extensive study of history, which spans 500 years and covers the rise and fall of empires, Dalio sees a historical precedent for such transformative shifts.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
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The Murdochs and Redstones are far from the only families that clung tenaciously to control of their media empires for as long as possible.—
Howard Homonoff,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In the 1600s the British parliament firmly established its predominance over the king, while Europe saw the rise of absolute monarchies in the then-great continental powers of Spain and France.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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The efforts for a new ceasefire have the backing of major Arab Gulf monarchies, according to two officials who spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the discussions.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Oligarchies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oligarchies. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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