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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of theocracy
The first of its two parts details the impacts of war and theocracy on both her family and her community: torture, death on the battlefield, constant raids, supply shortages and a growing black market.
—
New York Times, 8 July 2024
The Testaments takes place in the dystopian theocracy of Gilead more than 15 years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2025
No such common cause binds Iran’s religious theocracy, Russia’s neoimperialist nationalism, the hereditary despotism of North Korea’s regime, and the blend of nationalism, Confucianism, and Marxism-Leninism that animates the Chinese Communist Party.
—Christopher S. Chivvis, Foreign Affairs, 18 Mar. 2025
At one level, Sudan is yet another proxy conflict between the Middle East’s squabbling theocracies, with Qatar and Iran major backers of the SAF.
—Charlie Campbell / Dubai, TIME, 29 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for theocracy
New York Times, 8 July 2024
The Testaments takes place in the dystopian theocracy of Gilead more than 15 years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2025
No such common cause binds Iran’s religious theocracy, Russia’s neoimperialist nationalism, the hereditary despotism of North Korea’s regime, and the blend of nationalism, Confucianism, and Marxism-Leninism that animates the Chinese Communist Party.
—Christopher S. Chivvis, Foreign Affairs, 18 Mar. 2025
At one level, Sudan is yet another proxy conflict between the Middle East’s squabbling theocracies, with Qatar and Iran major backers of the SAF.
—Charlie Campbell / Dubai, TIME, 29 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for theocracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for theocracy
Noun
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The monarchy banned the Muslim Brotherhood a decade ago but officially licensed a splinter group and continued to tolerate the Islamic Action Front while restricting some its activities.—
Omar Akour,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
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That the United States is a democracy based on the rule of law and not a monarchy is part of its founding premise.—
Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Within days, over 300 soup kitchens run by Emergency Response Rooms, a network of democracy activists turned volunteer aid workers, were forced to close.—
Declan Walsh,
New York Times,
19 Apr. 2025
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The stage of democracy Artists and arts organizations have a long legacy of persistence and strategic organizing during periods of political and economic upheaval.—
Johanna K. Taylor,
The Conversation,
18 Apr. 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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At times Oman can seem hidden away from the world, a glittering white kingdom by a sapphire sea, governed by a benevolent monarch.—
Chris Wallace,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Apr. 2025
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History has seen the rise and fall of countless empires, from Ghengis Khan’s Mongol Empire to the kingdom of Assyria.—
Rosie McCall,
Discover Magazine,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In the benchmark survey, known as Bright Line Watch, U.S.-based professors rate the performance of American democracy on a scale from zero (complete dictatorship) to 100 (perfect democracy).—
Frank Langfitt,
NPR,
22 Apr. 2025
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In the late 1970s, Argentina was under the heel of a military dictatorship.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Related Articles Mathews: The American democratic republic is dead.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2025
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Robust discussion and disagreement are equally important to maintaining a healthy constitutional republic.—
Daniel Hall,
The Conversation,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Theocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/theocracy. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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