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autocracy

 - 3 dictionary results

au⋅toc⋅ra⋅cy

  [aw-tok-ruh-see]
Use autocracy in a Sentence
–noun, plural -cies.
1. government in which one person has uncontrolled or unlimited authority over others; the government or power of an absolute monarch.
2. a nation, state, or community ruled by an autocrat.
3. unlimited authority, power, or influence of one person in any group.
Origin:
1645–55; < Gk autokráteia power over oneself, sole power, equiv. to autokrat(s) autocrat + -eia -ia; see -cracy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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au·toc·ra·cy   (ô-tŏk'rə-sē)   
n.   pl. au·toc·ra·cies

  1. Government by a single person having unlimited power; despotism.

  2. A country or state that is governed by a single person with unlimited power.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

autocracy [(aw-tok-ruh-see)]

A system of government in which supreme political power is held by one person. (Compare constitutional monarchy, democracy, and oligarchy.)

Note: Iraq under Saddam Hussein is an autocracy.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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