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
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
Over time, a Democratic Party will need a three-pronged counter-attack to reverse Trumpers’ unprecedented blitzkrieg to the worst of two worlds — oligarchy and fascism.
—Mark Green, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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
Over time, a Democratic Party will need a three-pronged counter-attack to reverse Trumpers’ unprecedented blitzkrieg to the worst of two worlds — oligarchy and fascism.
—Mark Green, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oligarchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oligarchy
Noun
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Vasquez was the leader of the Trece Locos Salvatrucha, or TLS, clique of MS-13 operating in Somerville.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
23 May 2025
-
My new book, The Last Ferry Out (out May 20), unhooks the velvet rope into another fascinating clique: a group of expats living on a tiny tropical island off the coast of Cancún.—
Andrea Bartz,
People.com,
18 May 2025
Noun
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In 1915, Nicholas granted Olga and her children by Paul the titles of Princess and Prince Paley. World War I, the fall of the Romanov dynasty and the Russian Revolution The Paley family arrived in Russia at a critical time for the waning empire.—
Meilan Solly,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 June 2025
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Within weeks of its formation in the spring of ’06, Hyde became the throne room at the end of empire.—
Jeff Weiss,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2025
Noun
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At the time, Myanmar had been under the control of a strict military junta that held power from the 1960s until 2011, and for decades had kept the country in a state of extreme isolation and deprivation.—
Kimmy Yam,
NBC news,
9 June 2025
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In Myanmar, the military junta which took power in a coup in 2021, has requested international aid.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Miami Dade College also owns the Freedom Tower, an iconic building that once welcomed Cubans fleeing the Fidel Castro dictatorship.—
Douglas Hanks,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 June 2025
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The order bars entry for most applicants seeking tourist, student and business visas, further narrowing the few remaining legal pathways for families torn apart by dictatorship, displacement and economic collapse.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oligarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oligarchy. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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