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 the biggest story was his startling initial moves from democracy to oligarchy.
—
Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 29 Jan. 2025
Their specific policy positions will not matter as much as their willingness to call out everyone from Biden and Kamala Harris, to the tech oligarchy, to whatever failing mayor happens to be nearby.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2025
Instead, this administration plans to focus on consolidating power, enriching themselves, and rewarding billionaire donors like Musk, who exemplify the MAGA oligarchy.
—Laura Rodriguez, Orlando Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2025
The other half feared a nation on the verge of fascism and, in now former President Joe Biden’s telling, a tech billionaire oligarchy.
—David Mastio, The Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oligarchy
Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 29 Jan. 2025
Their specific policy positions will not matter as much as their willingness to call out everyone from Biden and Kamala Harris, to the tech oligarchy, to whatever failing mayor happens to be nearby.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2025
Instead, this administration plans to focus on consolidating power, enriching themselves, and rewarding billionaire donors like Musk, who exemplify the MAGA oligarchy.
—Laura Rodriguez, Orlando Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2025
The other half feared a nation on the verge of fascism and, in now former President Joe Biden’s telling, a tech billionaire oligarchy.
—David Mastio, The Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oligarchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oligarchy
Noun
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Last year, Lohan, Chabert and Amanda Seyfried, who rounded out the Plastics clique as Karen Smith in the original movie, reprised their characters for a Walmart Black Friday ad.—
Jen Juneau,
People.com,
21 Nov. 2024
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Written and directed by Alex Russell, Lurker follows retail employee Matthew (Pellerin), who infiltrates the clique of a rising musician, Oliver (Madekwe).—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
28 Jan. 2025
Noun
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McKinley, after all, presided over America’s 1898 emergence as a colonial empire.—
Robert W. Merry,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
7 Mar. 2025
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But building a criminal empire is expensive, and not just monetarily.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA TODAY,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In 2023, as ethnic rebel groups gained ground against the junta, powerful warlord families – backed by the military to rule the region and oversee these fraud operations – were apprehended and handed to Chinese police.—
Kocha Olarn,
CNN,
5 Feb. 2025
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Though the junta remains in charge, its hold on power has slipped in the face of a coordinated offensive by ethnic rebel groups that have fought the Myanmar military for decades.—
Anne Chan,
NBC News,
1 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The movie recounts the experiences of Eunice Paiva and her family after her husband Rubens Paiva was taken into custody during the country’s military dictatorship.—
Eliana Dockterman,
TIME,
3 Mar. 2025
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That is quite an achievement for a film which is certainly not a popcorn movie, recording the real-life story of Eunice Pavia and her reinvention of herself and rebuilding of her family after her husband, Rubens Pavia, an opponent of Brazil’s military dictatorship, disappeared after arrest in 1971.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
3 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oligarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oligarchy. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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