gerontocracy

noun

ger·​on·​toc·​ra·​cy ˌjer-ən-ˈtä-krə-sē How to pronounce gerontocracy (audio)
plural gerontocracies
: rule by elders
specifically : a form of social organization in which a group of old men or a council of elders dominates or exercises control
gerontocrat noun
gerontocratic adjective

Examples of gerontocracy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This is a difficult time to defend the gerontocracy. Jack Butler, National Review, 25 May 2025 There’s another element at play in the political power vacuum that now exists in Hollywood: its gerontocracy crisis. Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2025 Bonus loser: Generation X. Vance, the first millennial on a major party ticket, could inherit the GOP and the White House from Trump, injecting youth into a political system dominated by the gerontocracy. Zachary Basu, Axios, 16 July 2024 And unlike in the years after the Iran-Iraq War, when Iran had the advantage of a comparatively youthful leadership, Khamenei and his inner circle have become a gerontocracy, and a new generation is increasingly impatient with clerical rule. Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gerontocracy

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French gérontocratie, from géronto- geronto- + -cratie -cracy

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gerontocracy was in 1830

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gerontocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gerontocracy. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

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