1
as in monarchy
a system of government in which a religious body holds unlimited power
Under a theocracy, an entire nation officially follows one religion.
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in democracy
a group of people who live in a territory ruled by a religious body
The country was a theocracy governed by religious leaders.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of theocracy
For Israel, Russia, the United States, and other leading powers, these revelations confirmed that the theocracy was developing the infrastructure to acquire nuclear arms and potentially transfer them to its surrogates and partners.
—
Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024
Many in the region are asking: could the Islamic theocracy in Iran, reviled by its people and a cancer upon the world, be next?
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2024
For forty-five years, Tehran’s Shiite theocracy has heralded its political system as a model for all predominantly Muslim countries—and even beyond.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2024
Tehran began this process by intervening in Lebanon, which was in the throes of its long civil war when Iran became a theocracy.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for theocracy 
Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024
Many in the region are asking: could the Islamic theocracy in Iran, reviled by its people and a cancer upon the world, be next?
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2024
For forty-five years, Tehran’s Shiite theocracy has heralded its political system as a model for all predominantly Muslim countries—and even beyond.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2024
Tehran began this process by intervening in Lebanon, which was in the throes of its long civil war when Iran became a theocracy.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for theocracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for theocracy
Noun
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The parallels between the show’s fictional country and the U.S. seem pretty clear throughout, but ultimately, Kid Prince and Pablo still live in a monarchy.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Jan. 2025
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Unlike the ancient, crumbling monarchies of Europe, the United States was a young nation, fresh and vigorous.—
Caroline Winterer / Made by History,
TIME,
14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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And the ability to criticize public officials without fear of retribution is what differentiates a democracy from a dictatorship.—
John Yoo and John Shu,
Newsweek,
24 Jan. 2025
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Basic policy shibboleths, such as the efficacy of vaccines, are being questioned by all sorts of constituencies; once-predictable public-opinion trend lines—regarding feminism, LGBTQ rights, democracy itself—are going wobbly.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But a slave mentality remains deeply ingrained in Russian minds, along with a latent monarchism and paternalism.—
Nikita Petrov,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Dec. 2017
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But for anyone outside the British elite, the constitutional monarchism that emerged after the civil wars did not look much like democracy or true liberty.—
Andrew Cockburn,
Harper's Magazine,
20 Aug. 2024
Noun
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Global oil prices remain depressed years after the height of the coronavirus pandemic, affecting the kingdom's revenues.—
Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports,
arkansasonline.com,
24 Jan. 2025
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Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince announced Thursday that the kingdom is set to invest $600 billion in the United States over the next four years.—
John Yoo and John Shu,
Newsweek,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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During the third year of his sentence, he's placed in a cell with Valentin (Diego Luna), a revolutionary who is vital to the fight against Argentina's military dictatorship.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
27 Jan. 2025
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Molina, a gay hairdresser convicted of public indecency during Argentina’s brutal military dictatorship, has been sent to the political wing of a prison and put in the same cell as Valentin Arregui (a solid, if unremarkable Diego Luna), an intense and serious-minded Marxist revolutionary.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Blue is prominent in the flag of Haiti, the first Black independent republic.—
Ira Porter,
The Christian Science Monitor,
28 Jan. 2025
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On one hand, the U.S. is a federal constitutional republic with a representative democracy and a free-market economy.—
Luis E. Romero,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Theocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/theocracy. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
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