Meaning & use
oligarchy
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A system of government in which a small group holds all the power.
Grammar: Uncountable for the system, countable for a particular state: oligarchies.
Patterns
- rule by oligarchy
- an oligarchy of something
Ancient Sparta was ruled as an oligarchy.
Critics said the country had become an oligarchy of rich families.
Oligarchy replaced democracy after the coup.
nounsingular
The small group of people who hold such power.
Grammar: Takes a singular verb in American English: the oligarchy controls the media.
Patterns
- the ruling oligarchy
The ruling oligarchy controlled the banks and the press.
A tiny oligarchy decided the country's policy.
Protesters demanded the end of the oligarchy.
Word forms
| plural | oligarchies |
|---|
Common combinations
- ruling oligarchy
- The ruling oligarchy resisted reform.
- wealthy oligarchy
- A wealthy oligarchy owned the land.
- form an oligarchy
- A few families formed an oligarchy.
- rule by oligarchy
- The city moved to rule by oligarchy.
- corporate oligarchy
- Some fear a corporate oligarchy is emerging.
Synonyms and how they differ
- aristocracy
- Aristocracy means rule by the nobility, while oligarchy may be based on wealth or force.
- plutocracy
- Plutocracy is rule specifically by the rich, a narrower idea than oligarchy.
- junta
- A junta is a military group ruling after a takeover, a type of oligarchy.
- elite
- Elite refers to the powerful group, not the form of government.
Opposites
Word family
- oligarch noun
- a member of a small ruling group, or a powerful rich businessperson
- oligarchic adjective
- relating to oligarchy
- oligarchical adjective
- another form of oligarchic
- oligopoly noun
- a market controlled by a few companies
Commonly confused: oligarchy or monarchy? oligarchy or oligopoly?
oligarchy vs monarchy
A monarchy is rule by one person, but an oligarchy is rule by a few.
oligarchy vs oligopoly
Oligopoly refers to a market with few sellers, not a government.
Practice
A country ruled by a handful of wealthy families is best described as ___.
Choose one answer.
Rule by a few is oligarchy. Democracy is rule by the people.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “oligarchy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.