1
as in clique
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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in empire
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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of oligarchy
Barnstorming against oligarchy helped Ocasio-Cortez raise $9.6 million in the first quarter of the year, rekindling speculation about her viability as a candidate for higher office.
—
Charlotte Alter, Time, 19 May 2025
But can a billionaire—especially one born into wealth—really be the champion of a party that's spent the last decade railing against economic oligarchy?
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 May 2025
There's so much cultural richness and history and art and this almost oligarchy of families who live there and run the whole country.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 1 May 2025
Luke Winslow, an associate professor of communication at Baylor University who has written about oligarchy in America, recently pointed to four factors that set an oligarchy apart from other forms of rule: exclusivity, wealth, subtlety and legal immunity.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oligarchy
Charlotte Alter, Time, 19 May 2025
But can a billionaire—especially one born into wealth—really be the champion of a party that's spent the last decade railing against economic oligarchy?
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 May 2025
There's so much cultural richness and history and art and this almost oligarchy of families who live there and run the whole country.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 1 May 2025
Luke Winslow, an associate professor of communication at Baylor University who has written about oligarchy in America, recently pointed to four factors that set an oligarchy apart from other forms of rule: exclusivity, wealth, subtlety and legal immunity.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oligarchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oligarchy
Noun
-
That’s because nothing really happens in Dazed and Confused, a freewheeling collection of loose vignettes of different cliques and social permutations hanging out and driving around aimlessly.—
Brian Boone,
Vulture,
10 June 2025
-
The 18th Street clique, also known as Barrio 18, is a multi-ethnic street gang that started in Los Angeles and has become one of the nation’s largest gangs.—
Joe Dwinell,
Boston Herald,
20 May 2025
Noun
-
Her arrest comes 18 days after Lopez and four others were accused of establishing what prosecutors called a multi-million dollar casino empire before he was elected in 2020.—
Cristóbal Reyes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 June 2025
-
Great Britain, in alliance with the Dutch Republic and Habsburg Spain, opposed France’s efforts to install a Bourbon French prince, fearing a united Franco-Spanish empire.—
Aurora Martínez,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
The bloc’s decision to bar junta representation at key meetings stayed in place but produced little change.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
-
Dinges has written widely on Washington’s complicity in the murderous activities of South American military juntas in the 1970s.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Newsom is a potential Democratic Party presidential nominee in 2028. Democrats, partisan media and other critics of Trump are raising the spectre of diversion of our military from their proper constitutional roles, and even possible military dictatorship.—
Arthur Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
18 June 2025
-
This brings me back to the conclusion that the Venezuelan dictatorship — perhaps Latin America’s biggest potential winner of a global oil price hike — along with Colombia and Mexico may get, at best, a brief respite if the Iran war disrupts world oil shipping lanes.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oligarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oligarchy. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share