oligarchy
[ ol-i-gahr-kee ]
/ ˈɒl ɪˌgɑr ki /
noun, plural ol·i·gar·chies.
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.
a state or organization so ruled.
the persons or class so ruling.
Words nearby oligarchy
olid,
olig-,
oligaemia,
oligarch,
oligarchic,
oligarchy,
oligemia,
oligo-,
oligoamnios,
oligocene,
oligochaete
Example sentences from the Web for oligarchy
British Dictionary definitions for oligarchy
oligarchy
/ (ˈɒlɪˌɡɑːkɪ) /
noun plural -chies
government by a small group of people
a state or organization so governed
a small body of individuals ruling such a state
mainly US
a small clique of private citizens who exert a strong influence on government
Derived forms of oligarchy
oligarchic or oligarchical, adjective oligarchically, adverbWord Origin for oligarchy
C16: via Medieval Latin from Greek
oligarkhia, from
olígos few +
-archy
Cultural definitions for oligarchy
oligarchy
[ (ol-uh-gahr-kee, oh-luh-gahr-kee) ]
A system of government in which power is held by a small group.