oligarchy
noun/ˈɒlɪɡɑːki/
/ˈɑːləɡɑːrki/, /ˈəʊləɡɑːrki/
(plural oligarchies)
- [uncountable] a form of government in which only a small group of people hold all the powerTopics Politicsc2
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- [countable + singular or plural verb] the people who hold power in an oligarchy
- The oligarchy holds/hold all the power.
- [countable] a country governed by an oligarchy
Word Originlate 15th cent.: from Greek oligarkhia, from oligoi ‘few’ and arkhein ‘to rule’.
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oligarchy