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
That, and moves by others of the ultra-wealthy such as Warren Buffett and Michael Bloomberg, has prompted criticism that the country has become an oligarchy.
—
Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2025
Trump has filled a number of his administration’s posts with billionaires and his support from wealthy tech leaders led Democratic President Joe Biden to warn that the United States risked becoming an oligarchy ruled by elites.
—Nicholas Riccardi, Chicago Tribune, 13 Apr. 2025
Trump has filled a number of his administration’s posts with billionaires, and his support from wealthy tech leaders led then-President Biden to warn that the United States risked becoming an oligarchy ruled by elites.
—Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Thompson also weighed in on Bernie Sanders' criticisms of the oligarchy, urging corporate leaders to step up against the president's chaotic economic policies to ensure stable growth.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oligarchy
Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2025
Trump has filled a number of his administration’s posts with billionaires and his support from wealthy tech leaders led Democratic President Joe Biden to warn that the United States risked becoming an oligarchy ruled by elites.
—Nicholas Riccardi, Chicago Tribune, 13 Apr. 2025
Trump has filled a number of his administration’s posts with billionaires, and his support from wealthy tech leaders led then-President Biden to warn that the United States risked becoming an oligarchy ruled by elites.
—Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Thompson also weighed in on Bernie Sanders' criticisms of the oligarchy, urging corporate leaders to step up against the president's chaotic economic policies to ensure stable growth.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oligarchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oligarchy
Noun
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The department has been haunted for years by allegations about violent, tattooed cliques, whose bad behavior has cost the county millions of dollars in legal settlements.—
Keri Blakinger,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2025
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But while Nick's actions threaten to alienate him from his clique, Carell has spoken about how the series ultimately brought him closer to Fey.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
3 May 2025
Noun
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The Gemstone kids already share authority over their family’s multimillion-dollar empire.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
5 May 2025
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The Trump family expands its lucrative cryptocurrency empire, raising questions of corruption.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 May 2025
Noun
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The regional bloc had shunned high-level talks with Myanmar since the coup, to avoid legitimizing the junta.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
2 May 2025
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The junta, critics say, has been blocking and restricting aid.—
Sui-Lee Wee,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
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For instance, during Rafael Trujillo’s dictatorship in the Dominican Republic from 1930 to 1961, the head of intelligence, Johnny Abbes, was plucked from obscurity in Mexico and in 1958 began to lead the dictator’s repression machine.—
Erica Frantz,
The Conversation,
16 May 2025
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In the Soviet dictatorship, this was meant literally: engineers and senior managers in charge of color film production would be denounced, arrested, and executed during the Great Purges of 1937–1838.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
15 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oligarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oligarchy. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
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