What is another word for oligarchic?

Pronunciation: [ˌɒlɪɡˈɑːkɪk] (IPA)

Oligarchic is an adjective that pertains to a government or a political system that is controlled by a small group of people with wealth, power, or influence. This word has a negative connotation as it suggests a lack of democracy and equality. Synonyms for oligarchic include autocratic, authoritarian, dictatorial, despotic, tyrannical, monarchical, aristocratic, plutocratic, kleptocratic, and elitist. These words describe a government that is oppressive, undemocratic, and dominated by a small group of individuals or families. However, some of these terms may have slightly different connotations. For instance, a plutocratic system is one that is ruled by the wealthy, while an elitist system is one that is run by a privileged and exclusive group.

What are the hypernyms for Oligarchic?

A hypernym is a word with a broad meaning that encompasses more specific words called hyponyms.

Usage examples for Oligarchic

Our enemy is the State, monarchical, oligarchic, democratic, working class, with its functionaries and its services of officers, magistrates, and police.
"Contemporary Socialism"
John Rae
The distinctive features of the American system are its guarantees of personal independence and individual freedom; that is, as far as possible, it guarantees to each man his right to live as he chooses and to regulate his own private affairs as he wishes, without being interfered with or tyrannized over by an individual, or by an oligarchic minority, or by a democratic majority; while, when the interests of the whole community are at stake, it is found best in the long run to let them be managed in accordance with the wishes of the majority of those presumably concerned.
"Thomas Hart Benton"
Theodore Roosevelt
The oligarchic capitalists of Stolgoland have been plotting to attack us for years.
"Space Viking"
Henry Beam Piper

Famous quotes with Oligarchic

  • I think it is only because capitalism has proved so enormously more efficient than alternative methods that it has survived at all. (...) I'm not sure capitalism is the right word. There is a sense in which every society is capitalist. The Soviet Union was capitalist, but it was state capitalism. Latin American societies in the past have been capitalist, but it has been oligarchic capitalism. So what we really need to talk about is not capitalism but free market or competitive capitalism which is the system that we would like to have adopted, not just capitalism.
    Milton Friedman
  • We do not want dictators, we do not want oligarchic parties or class rule, we want a widespread world intelligence conscious of itself.
    H. G. Wells

Word of the Day

tiebreak
Tiebreak, synonymous with "overtime" or simply "sudden death," is a term used predominantly in sports to determine a winner in a situation where the game ends in a tie. Other relat...