"Necropolitics" refers to the use of power and authority to determine who lives and who dies, often in relation to marginalized or oppressed communities. Some synonyms for this term include "death politics," "thanatopolitics," and "biopolitical necrosis." Each of these phrases emphasizes the role of political power in shaping the distribution of life and death, and suggests that the use of force and violence is often justified as a means of protecting the status quo. These synonyms also highlight the ways in which the designation of certain groups as "worthy" or "unworthy" of life is intimately tied to broader social and political structures, such as gender, race, and class.