Definitions for OLIGARCHY
ˈɒl ɪˌgɑr kioli·garchy

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. oligarchynoun

   a political system governed by a few people

   "one of his cardinal convictions was that Britain was not run as a democracy but as an oligarchy"; "the big cities were notoriously in the hands of the oligarchy of local businessmen"

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.3 / 3 votes

1. oligarchynoun

   A government run by only a few, often the wealthy.

2. oligarchynoun

   Those who make up an oligarchic government.

3. oligarchynoun

   A state ruled by such a government.

4. Etymology: From oligarchie, from oligarchia, from ὀλιγαρχία, from ὀλίγος + ἀρχή.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Oligarchynoun

   A form of government which places the supreme power in a small number; aristocracy.

   Etymology: ὀλιγαϱχία.

   The worst kind of oligarchy, is, when men are governed indeed by a few, and yet are not taught to know what those few be, to whom they should obey. Philip Sidney, b. ii.

   We have no aristocracies but in contemplation, all oligarchies, wherein a few men domineer, do what they list. Robert Burton.

   After the expedition into Sicily, the Athenians chose four hundred men for administration of affairs, who became a body of tyrants, and were called an oligarchy, or tyranny of the few; under which hateful denomination they were soon after deposed. Jonathan Swift.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Oligarchy

   Oligarchy (from Greek ὀλιγαρχία (oligarkhía) 'rule by few'; from ὀλίγος (olígos) 'few', and ἄρχω (arkho) 'to rule or to command') is a conceptual form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people may or may not be distinguished by one or several characteristics, such as nobility, fame, wealth, education, or corporate, religious, political, or military control. Throughout history, power structures considered to be oligarchies have often been viewed as tyrannical, relying on public obedience or oppression to exist. Aristotle pioneered the use of the term as meaning rule by the rich, for which another term commonly used today is plutocracy. In the early 20th century Robert Michels developed the theory that democracies, like all large organizations, tend to turn into oligarchies. In his "Iron law of oligarchy" he suggests that the necessary division of labor in large organizations leads to the establishment of a ruling class mostly concerned with protecting their own power.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. oligarchy

   An oligarchy is a type of governance or political system where power is held by a small, select group of people. This group could be characterized by attributes such as wealth, education, business or military control, religion, or familial ties. The general population often has limited influence or power in an oligarchy.

WikidataRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Oligarchy

   Oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with a small number of people. These people could be distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, education, corporate, or military control. Such states are often controlled by a few prominent families who pass their influence from one generation to the next. In his 2011 book, "Oligarchy," Jeffrey A. Winters defines oligarchy as "the politics of wealth defense by materially endowed actors." In Winters' definition, massive wealth is the key factor in identifying oligarchs. Throughout history, oligarchies have been tyrannical or relatively benign. Aristotle pioneered the use of the term as a synonym for rule by the rich, for which the exact term is plutocracy, but oligarchy is not always a rule by wealth, as oligarchs can simply be a privileged group, and do not have to be connected by bloodlines as in a monarchy.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Oligarchy

   ol′i-gärk-i, n. government by a small exclusive class: a state governed by such: a small body of men who have the supreme power of a state in their hands.—n. Ol′igarch, a member of an oligarchy.—adjs. Oligarch′al, Oligarch′ic, -al, pertaining to an oligarchy. [Fr.,—Gr., oligos, few, archein, to rule.]

Matched Categories

1. • Political System

How to pronounce OLIGARCHY?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say OLIGARCHY in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of OLIGARCHY in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of OLIGARCHY in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of OLIGARCHY in a Sentence

1. Bernie Sanders:

   You are not looking at democracy, you are looking at oligarchy -- and we have got to change that, i do not exaggerate when I tell you that the foundations of American democracy are being undermined.

2. Nicolas Maduro:

   At the start of this year the parasitical oligarchy ambushed us but we and the people are responding.

3. G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy:

   Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about.

4. Phil Trieb:

   [I]f we won’t choose to pay the price of liberty, then by default we shall suffer the cost of servitude -- whether it be the iron chains of a tyrannical oligarchy or the regulatory chains of unelected, faceless bureaucrats. When we witness our neighbors abused by tyrants, will we skulk away and hope we’re not next? Or will we stand by them and challenge -- as freedom-loving Americans -- the tyranny of lawless leaders.

5. Candace Rondeaux:

   One tends to think that Putin is this diabolical man who controls all the things inside and outside of the Kremlin. That’s kind of true. He definitely has a lot of power over state agencies. He has a lot of power over business enterprises throughout the country and therefore the wealth of the country, but there’s something deeper here. Russia’s oligarchy, its mafia class and its security class have started to fuse to the point where you cannot untangle them from each other and they need each other.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=OLIGARCHY
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Oligarchy
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=OLIGARCHY
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligarchy
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=OLIGARCHY
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=OLIGARCHY