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
The Guardian: Republicans want a corporate oligarchy.
—
Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 7 Mar. 2025
Even in a new age of oligarchy where the rich are openly proclaiming themselves above the needs and laws of normal people, and even with obvious parallels to the Sacklers, the Leopolds manage to be generically monstrous instead of resonantly so.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2025
These are to monopolies as oligarchies — rule by a few — are to monarchies.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 9 Mar. 2025
This oligarchy is now free to serve their own interests and maximize earnings with government contracts and favorable policies.
—Linda Thompson Gonzalez, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oligarchy
Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 7 Mar. 2025
Even in a new age of oligarchy where the rich are openly proclaiming themselves above the needs and laws of normal people, and even with obvious parallels to the Sacklers, the Leopolds manage to be generically monstrous instead of resonantly so.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2025
These are to monopolies as oligarchies — rule by a few — are to monarchies.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 9 Mar. 2025
This oligarchy is now free to serve their own interests and maximize earnings with government contracts and favorable policies.
—Linda Thompson Gonzalez, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oligarchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oligarchy
Noun
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His attorneys have said in filings that the Westerns clique — according to the Justice Department and the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office — is based on Long Island, New York, a state where Abrego Garcia has never lived.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
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As Dan Humphrey, Badgley played the Brooklyn outsider who found his way into the elite clique through his romance with Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively).—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Of all the rich people in Donald Trump’s cabinet, no one seems to have more on the line in the trade war than Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, who built up a three-pillared empire over more than 40 years on Wall Street.—
Dan Alexander,
Forbes.com,
12 Apr. 2025
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Such a devastating turn by the advocate who was instrumental in building Reigns' dominant empire, tearing it down to crown Punk, would fundamentally shake the power structure of WWE to its very core.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The official opposition, once led by Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi (now imprisoned by the junta), formed a government in exile, along with a crypto-only bank focused on keeping funds away from the prying eyes of the regime.—
Roger Huang,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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The Southeast Asian country is reeling from a raging civil war between a military junta that seized power in 2021, and pro-democracy fighters and ethnic rebel groups battling to overthrow it.—
Ross Adkin,
CNN Money,
29 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The oligarchs in Hungary and Russia support the dictatorship with their monetary gains in return for being allowed to remain billionaires.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2025
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The biographical drama is inspired by the lives of Brazilian activist Eunice Paiva and her politician husband Rubens, who was murdered for his dissidence toward the military dictatorship of 1970s Brazil.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oligarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oligarchy. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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