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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of oligarchy
His new movie, about a wealthy Moscow family, is both an erotic thriller and an indictment of amoral oligarchy detached from the war with Ukraine.
—
Film Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
The open-source software movement, partly a political project to protect the freedom to tinker and prevent corporate oligarchies from stifling innovation, would become a cornerstone of the technology industry.
—
Jonathan Weber,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
Congress has abdicated its power to an oligarchy of billionaires.
—
Letters To The Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 May 2026
Congress has abdicated its power to an oligarchy of billionaires.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for oligarchy
Film Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
The open-source software movement, partly a political project to protect the freedom to tinker and prevent corporate oligarchies from stifling innovation, would become a cornerstone of the technology industry.
—
Jonathan Weber,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
Congress has abdicated its power to an oligarchy of billionaires.
—
Letters To The Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 May 2026
Congress has abdicated its power to an oligarchy of billionaires.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for oligarchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oligarchy
Noun
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Since its inception, social media has been a proving ground for tween fashion and identity, offering under-16s a digital canvas to experiment with their style and form online cliques around niche interests.
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Shen wondered whether there was a random model that could produce clique-free colorings more efficiently than Erdős’ approach.
Noun
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Jones has thrown every wrench at the paper to try and foil the reboot of his digital streaming and supplement empire.
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The tennis icon has built a sprawling business empire that includes a venture capital firm, Serena Ventures; the multimedia company Nine Two Six Productions; and Wyn Beauty, while also holding stakes in the Miami Dolphins and Angel City FC.
Noun
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The junta then sacked hundreds of French forces sent to fight extremist groups.
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However, its victory over Peru has since been riddled with allegations of match fixing, particularly because Argentina was ruled by a military junta that was accused of using its political influence to secure a favorable result.
Noun
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His story stretches beyond sports, touching one of Haiti’s many mysteries of Haiti’s brutal Duvalier dictatorship and reflecting on the outsize role Haitians have long played in shaping American history.
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Virtually all contemporary dictatorships are cosplay democracies with term limits, elections, and legislatures—the few ruling, as Amos Perlmutter put it, in the name of the many.
Cite this Entry
“Oligarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oligarchy. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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