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.
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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.
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Recent Examples of oligarchy
My children have spent their developing years watching Trump’s oligarchy fortify itself through a global pandemic.
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Michelle Benegas, Twin Cities, 1 Nov. 2024
Those actions led to the rise of a new Russian oligarchy.
—Ron Insana, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024
After the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, and especially when Nasrallah was assassinated in Beirut, many radicals concluded that the IRGC’s oligarchy had been infiltrated by Israeli intelligence.
—Saeid Golkar, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2024
Less oligarchy with decks stacked against us, and more true representation among county commissioners.
—Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 10 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for oligarchy 
Michelle Benegas, Twin Cities, 1 Nov. 2024
Those actions led to the rise of a new Russian oligarchy.
—Ron Insana, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024
After the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, and especially when Nasrallah was assassinated in Beirut, many radicals concluded that the IRGC’s oligarchy had been infiltrated by Israeli intelligence.
—Saeid Golkar, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2024
Less oligarchy with decks stacked against us, and more true representation among county commissioners.
—Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 10 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for oligarchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oligarchy
Noun
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However, refusing to give up on his dream of becoming an avid writer of fiction, the young author brings talent, dogged determination and a marketing savvy mindset to break through the industry’s perennial clique.Sonya Rehman, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
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Even the most fearsome clique of them all, the Manhattan private all-girls school vampires, are there.Katie Rife, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Barring a successful appeal, the decision ensures Murdoch's media empire will be left equally to his four oldest children, who are not all ideologically aligned with the conservative views of Rupert and Lachlan.Sara Fischer, Axios, 9 Dec. 2024
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Lisa Frank was very hands-on in the early days of running her rainbow empire.Angela Andaloro, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Popular on Variety The novel, which was published just two years before a military junta seized power in Greece, is a meditation on truth, state oppression, democracy and power that remains chillingly relevant today.Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 21 Oct. 2024
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The junta accused the Americans of talking down to them.Ruth Maclean, New York Times, 7 June 2024
Noun
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Older generations lived under the violent military dictatorships of the nineteen-sixties, seventies, and eighties, and young people are aware of this legacy.E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
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Of 5,000 people held at the school during the dictatorship, fewer than 250 survived.Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near oligarchy
Cite this Entry
“Oligarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oligarchy. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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