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oligarchy
Use
Oligarchy
in a sentence
ol·i·gar·chy
/
ˈɒl
ɪˌgɑr
ki
/
Show Spelled
[
ol
-i-gahr-kee
]
Show IPA
noun,
plural
ol·i·gar·chies.
1.
a form of government in
which
all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few.
2.
a state or
organization
so ruled.
3.
the persons or class so ruling.
Origin:
1570–80;
<
Medieval Latin
oligarchia
<
Greek
oligarchía.
See
olig-
,
-archy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To
oligarchy
Collins
World English Dictionary
oligarchy
(ˈɒlɪˌɡɑːkɪ)
—
n
,
pl
-chies
1.
government by a small group of people
2.
a state or organization so governed
3.
a small body of individuals ruling such a state
4.
chiefly
(
US
) a small clique of private citizens who exert a strong influence on government
[C16: via Medieval Latin from Greek
oligarkhia,
from
olígos
few +
-archy
]
oli'garchic
—
adj
oli'garchical
—
adj
oli'garchically
—
adv
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Relevant Questions
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00:10
Oligarchy
is always a great word to know.
So is
doohickey
. Does it mean:
So is
bezoar
. Does it mean:
So is
slumgullion
. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
oligarchy
1570s, from M.Fr. oligarchie (14c.), from Gk. oligarkhia "government by the few," from oligoi "few, small, little" (of unknown origin) + arkhein "to rule" (see
archon
).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
oligarchy
[(
ol
-uh-gahr-kee,
oh
-luh-gahr-kee)]
A system of government in which power is held by a small group.
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
Example sentences
The interesting question is whether or not it is even possible for a democracy
not to evolve into an
oligarchy
.
It's
oligarchy
and history has shown us that the current state of affairs is
not sustainable in the long-run.
The people surrender their sovereign power to an
oligarchy
who are elected and
whose opportunity to wield power is time limited.
Political power was in the hands of the
oligarchy
, democracy was a farce.
The industry is trying to become free of an
oligarchy
of established vendors thus improving services and lowering costs.
They're what you get in a religious
oligarchy
, which is trying to sustain their special privilege against the tides of change.
But such is life under judicial
oligarchy
, forcing the nation to speak legalese.
But her officials' efforts to paint the protesters as a rural
oligarchy
bent on toppling the government have done her little good.
Now is the time for us to end the financial
oligarchy
that has been so destructive to our economy.
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Related Words
-archy
olig-
MORE
Matching Quote
"The legislator should direct his attention above all to the education of youth; for the neglect of education does harm to the constitution. The citizen should be molded to suit the form of government under which he lives. For each government has a peculiar character which originally formed and which continues to preserve it. The character of democracy creates democracy, and the character of
oligarchy
creates
oligarchy
."
-Aristotle
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Synonym Game
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