n
A totalitarian or dystopic society, especially when characterised by intense surveillance of its citizens. Also used attributively.
adj
Resembling or pertaining to a society with a pronounced amount of surveillance, totalitarianism and censorship.
adj
(informal) Resembling or pertaining to a totalitarian society, especially one characterised by intensive surveillance of the population.
n
(political science, sociology) The principles or practice of absolute or arbitrary government; despotism.
n
(politics, philosophy) In political philosophy, the negation of rule by "regency", or hierarchical "government". The absence of a "ruling class". A society with the absence of imposition or coercion; one of voluntary order.
n
The land owned by such people.
n
Alternative form of adhocrat. [(business, organizational theory) One who espouses or practises adhocracy.]
n
Governance by white people, especially Europeans.
n
Government by code or algorithm.
n
Rule by algorithms, where political decisions are being made by algorithms, and thus making representative democracy obsolete.
n
(government, sociology) Government or rule by men.
n
(politics) A political system which is neither fully democratic nor fully autocratic, often being vulnerable to political instability.
adj
(politics) Characterized by a mixture of autocratic and democratic government.
n
(rare nonce word) plutocracy (especially with (usually humorous) reference to silver)
n
Government by the best rulers.
n
Government by such a class, or a state with such a government
n
Aristocrats collectively.
n
A form of government in which power is shared between the people and the aristocracy.
n
A form of government where decisions are made based purely on the numerical majority of supporters.
n
Autocracy (absolute rule by a single person).
n
A form of government in which the governing body has absolute, or almost absolute, control. Typically this control is maintained by force, and little heed is paid to public opinion or the judicial system.
n
(uncountable) A form of government in which unlimited power is held by a single individual.
n
(rare) The state of being an autocrat; autocracy.
n
A dictator who has power because the people allow it, and who might be peaceably removed from office by the will of the people.
n
A dictatorship in which the leader has power only because the people choose to allow them to remain and puts the interests of the people first. This necessitates a wise use of power and generally prevents abuses since the benevolent dictator loses power if they are unsuitable.
n
government of a benevolent tyrant.
n
Synonym of diarchy: rule by two people.
n
(Nigeria) Synonym of autocracy, especially (historical) corrupt autocratic rule in Nigeria.
n
(derogatory) Rule by bigots.
n
(politics) Liberty and freedom from subjugation and oppression for African Americans and Black people.
n
Rule by the ignorant and uneducated.
n
(autocratic) rule by bosses
n
(US) Alternative spelling of bureaucracy [Government by bureaus or their administrators or officers.]
n
Alternative spelling of kakistocracy. [Government under the control of a nation's worst or least-qualified citizens.]
n
Alternative form of kakocracy [(dated, uncommon) Rule or government by the worst of the people.]
n
(rare) A government of 1000 rulers.
n
government by physical force
n
Rule by the rich; plutocracy.
n
Government characterised by the appointment to public office of friends, or those of similar social background, of those in power.
adj
Of or relating to cisheteropatriarchy.
n
Alternative form of kleptocracy [A corrupt and dishonest government or society characterised by greed.]
n
(rare, politics) Rule by clerics.
n
(neologism) the role of the internet and algorithmic media in elections and governance.
n
(derogatory) Rule by men; patriarchy.
adj
Of the same country; having a common sentiment of patriotism.
n
(Canada, chiefly historical) A supporter of Canadian Confederation.
n
A voter who supports a (political) candidate; a supporter of a cause.
n
(usually pejorative) The routine use of contractors to perform the functions of government rather than regular government employees, often with the implication that the contractors are ineffective and simply enriching themselves due to government corruption.
n
A state ruled by a corrupt government.
n
rulership of the world; a global government
n
(US, historical) A government dominated by the cotton industry, as in the United States prior to the Civil War.
n
A form of government where the real leaders are hidden, or merely unknown.
n
A government headed by a czar or a similar autocrat.
n
A participant in czarocracy or a czarocratic regime.
n
obsolete typography of Caesarism [autocracy]
n
obsolete typography of caesaropapism [(government, religion) The combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters.]
n
(politics) Synonym of decarchy: rule by ten people.
v
(intransitive and transitive) To speak or act in the manner of a demagogue; to speak about (an issue) in the manner of a demagogue.
n
Government by decision-makers who have been randomly selected by sortition (lot) from a pool of eligible citizens.
n
(uncountable) Rule by multiple distinct people.
n
Democracy (when regarded as resulting in, or being no better than, government by figurative demons (i.e., evil people), or when otherwise held in contempt).
n
government by a singular authority, either a single person or tight-knit group, which rules with absolute power, especially in a cruel and oppressive way.
n
(politics) soft-handed dictatorship
n
A government which exercises autocratic rule.
n
(Marxism) The societal order wherein the bourgeoisie collectively holds the most influence over politics and the masses.
n
Synonym of tyranny of the majority
n
Obsolete form of dictatorship. [A type of government where absolute sovereignty is allotted to an individual or a small clique.]
n
Alternative form of diarchy [Rule by two people.]
n
Rule by the wealthy; plutocracy.
n
Alternative form of dulocracy [A government where servants and slaves have so much license and privilege that they domineer; predominance of slaves.]
n
A government by two persons.
n
A government where servants and slaves have so much license and privilege that they domineer; predominance of slaves.
n
Alternative form of diarchy [Rule by two people.]
n
A form of government in which the rulers all belong to the same dynastic family
n
state control over economic affairs
n
A system in which decision-making is centralized.
n
(politics, philosophy) The policies of an absolute monarch who is influenced by the ideals of the Enlightenment.
n
Synonym of benevolent tyranny
n
Synonym of benevolent tyrant
n
Government by young people.
n
(uncountable) Rule by citizens with political knowledge, or a proposed political system which concentrates political power in citizens according to their knowledge.
n
One of the ruling citizens in an epistocracy.
n
government by the workers
n
(rare) A supporter of ergatocracy.
adj
characterized by ergatocracy, ruled by workers
n
Support for the political or cultural establishment.
n
A form of government in which a particular ethnic group holds a disproportionate amount of government power.
n
(historical) the practice of élite in Greek and Roman cities of distributing a part of their wealth to the community; public benefaction
n
rule or government by experts
adj
(obsolete) Belonging to a faction; partisan; taking sides.
n
A system where people are ruled by a family or by their own family groupings.
n
(politics) A voter who shifts from party to party, especially one whose vote can be purchased.
n
A hierarchical or discriminatory fraternity or fraternal interest group.
n
A form of government proposed by economist Robin Hanson, in which elected officials define measures of national welfare and prediction markets are used to determine which policies will have the most positive effect.
n
Alternative spelling of Gelasian dyarchy [(Roman Catholicism, politics) The doctrine, traced back to Pope Gelasius I, that there are two authorities governing human affairs, the spiritual authority of the church and the temporal authority of the empire or secular government.]
n
A system of government based on creative intelligence and problem-solving, proposed especially by Raëlians.
n
(rare, countable) A society or organization so ruled.
n
(US politics, derogatory) corruption and cronyism in government
n
(obsolete) gynecocracy; rule by women
n
(politics, countable) A government ruled by a woman or women.
n
(government, sociology) Government or rule by women, or a society with such leadership.
n
(government, sociology) Synonym of gynecocracy
n
A government of 100 rulers.
n
(uncountable) The rule of an alien; rule from without; government by an extraterritorial power.
n
A polycentric government
adj
(informal) Extremely oppressive or restrictive; draconian.
n
(countable) An government that interferes excessively in the affairs of its citizens
n
government by physicians
n
(humorous, politics) A government run by idiots.
n
(ecclesiastical history) The principle that each individual religious congregation is free from any external ecclesiastical control, as by a bishop.
n
A leader in an infocracy; one who controls the flow of information.
n
A form of government where all citizens have equal political power.
n
(dated) Rule by Jesuits.
n
(US, slang) Rule by jocks (athletic macho men).
n
The policies or attitudes of junkers.
n
Government under the control of a nation's worst or least-qualified citizens.
n
A very poor ruler; a member of a kakistocracy.
n
(dated, uncommon) Rule or government by the worst of the people.
n
Military rule of a country, often in collusion with the elite and business classes.
n
Kleptocracy; rule by one or more thieves.
n
A ruling figure in a kleptocracy.
n
(political science) A government established by seizure utilizing force or deceit with rule maintained by strength.
n
Alternative form of critocracy [A system of rule by judges.]
n
A system of ruling and oppression in which many people may interact and act as oppressor or oppressed.
n
A specific variation or implementation of such a system.
n
A political system based on ownership of land.
n
A social code in Scandinavian countries that opposes individualism, ambition and vanity.
n
(political science, sometimes capitalized) The political state, especially a domineering and totalitarian one as theorized by Thomas Hobbes.
n
The rule of, or government by, words.
n
(derogatory) A corrupt political system in which the elite fraudulently help themselves to money or resources intended for other purposes.
n
(Pakistani politics) A person who switches loyalties, especially from one political party to another.
n
A political environment in which politicians have a tendency to switch loyalties frequently for personal gain.
n
(colloquial) A series of people or things considered as representing progressively lower levels of a series or whole.
n
(countable) An instance of such government; a government that is run by mafiosi or similar crime lords.
n
(fantasy) Synonym of magocracy.
n
(fantasy) Government or rule by those with magical powers; a hierarchy composed of wizards or mages.
n
One who supports the dominance of the majority over the minority.
n
A form of democracy in which decisions are made by a simple majority of some organized group.
n
(rare) System of power dominated by males.
n
A public declaration of principles, policies, or intentions, especially that of a political party.
n
(rare, derogatory) A state having a deceased person set up as its ostensible leader.
n
(politics) The act of following or taking on a policy of another (especially competing) person or political party.
n
A system of government in which the populace votes but the media hold power through influence.
n
government by the middle class
n
Government with the least necessary power over its citizens.
n
(chiefly concerning the former Soviet Union) A petty oligarch, one with somewhat less money or power.
n
(politics) A monarchy which includes elements of democracy and aristocracy.
n
Rule or control by the mob (or by the mass of ordinary people); a mob as a politically powerful force.
n
(rare) Synonym of autocracy
n
A government run by morons.
n
(rare) Rule or government based on death in some way.
n
(by extension) One who switches from supporting one political party to another, especially for personal benefit.
n
(obsolete, rare) A government of 10,000 people.
n
(fantasy, science fiction) A government ruled by the undead.
n
A form of status quo maintained by the interrelations of power structure and authority.
n
Government by the new or inexperienced.
n
A political system in which a bureaucracy based on rules is undermined by patrimonialism.
n
(political philosophy) A government with the least necessary power over its citizens.
n
A society characterized by rigid government control enforced through propaganda and intensive surveillance.
n
(now historical) A list of bureaucratic posts in government and industry in the former Soviet Union (or other communist countries), filled by those appointed by the Party.
n
(politics) A political system under the sovereignty of rational laws and civic rights.
n
A government or state that is not a monarchy.
n
(neologism, rare) Rule by intellect; a government which weds power with intelligence.
n
Mob rule; government by the masses; mobocracy.
n
(rare) Any of various forms of government or rule as designated by words ending in -ocracy.
n
(informal, derogatory) An elite group that obtains its power from control of the oil industry.
n
A country whose capital comes mostly or largely from petroleum reserves.
n
A member of an oligarchy; someone who is part of a small group that runs a country.
n
The principles or spirit of an oligarchy.
n
Conversion to an oligarchy
n
A government run by only a few, often the wealthy.
n
Rule by a select few people.
adj
(politics) Publicly reiterating and supporting the official party policy; conforming to the party’s agreed policies.
n
The individual's right to choose any form of government without being forced to move from their current locale.
n
The principle that everyone has the right to participate in the making of decisions that affect them and no one has the right to assume someone else's authority for the decisions they make.
n
A utopian social system in which every member participates equally in government.
n
Alternative form of partocracy [Government by political parties or factions.]
adj
Adherent to a party or faction; especially, having the character of blind, passionate, or unreasonable adherence to a party.
n
The practices of partisans; partisanship
n
Alternative form of partocracy [Government by political parties or factions.]
n
(historical) A maximum limit on the salary of a member of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union between 1920 and 1932.
n
Government by political parties or factions.
n
A state in which power is held by a single political party.
n
Devotion to a party or faction.
n
Alternative form of partocracy [Government by political parties or factions.]
n
Government by people with personality disorders.
n
A supporter of patriarchalism.
n
government by a patriarch
n
A political system in which all power flows from the leader.
n
Love of one's country; devotion to the welfare of one's compatriots; passion which inspires one to serve one's country.
n
(informal, derogatory) A government or social order dominated by men.
n
(politics) A more participatory form of democracy, intended to care for every person and not just the majority.
n
A dictatorship funded by petroleum exports.
n
A society or government of, or dominated by, men.
n
Government by a class or tribe.
n
Government by or social hierarchy of those with a certain skin tone, regardless of race or socioeconomic status.
n
The group of plantation owners who have power in such a government.
n
rule by the wealthy; plutocracy
n
Government by the wealthy.
n
(politics) A deceptive pseudodemocratic government that is in fact a hypercapitalist plutocracy.
n
Alternative form of polyarchy [A government in which power is invested in multiple people.]
n
(usually derogatory) A polity whose government exercises strict and repressive control of the people.
n
(metonymically) The senior leadership of the Soviet Union, or that of the People's Republic of China.
n
A political organization that subscribes to a certain ideology and seeks to attain political power through representation in government.
n
Government that is in some manner chosen by the governed citizens.
n
government by the mob or masses; mobocracy
n
A government in which power is invested in multiple people.
n
A tyrannic regime within a democracy
n
A member of any political party with "Popular" in the title, such as the Partido Popular in Spain or Popolari di Italia Domani in Italy
n
(derogatory, often figuratively) A government by, or dominated by, prostitutes or corrupt persons.
n
informal and nondemocratic manipulation of politics by the rich and powerful
n
A governmental system that exercises unlimited arbitrariness and violence unchecked by any legal guarantees.
n
(humorous neologism, rare) Government or management by “arseholes” (i.e., inconsiderate, obnoxious, or otherwise highly objectionable people).
n
Rule by, or under the control of, religious prophets.
n
Government by ballot-elected representatives; representative democracy. Often contrasted with democracy, with which it is unfavourably compared for its lack of demotic participation in the political process outside of elections.
n
A society or a system ruled and dominated by the poor.
n
A group of political pundits who are thought to have too much influence.
n
Uncommon spelling of puppet regime. [(politics) Synonym of puppet state]
n
Rule by quangos or similar unelected bodies.
n
(historical) One who protested in the Rebecca Riots.
n
(politics) A period of brutal intimidation and violence by those in power.
n
(chiefly with the) Rule by British statesman Robert Walpole (1676–1745), especially between 1721 and 1742 when he is regarded as the Prime Minister of Great Britain.
n
rule by robots; robotocracy
n
Alternative form of slavocracy [(US, chiefly historical) The persons or interest representing slavery politically, or wielding political power for the preservation or advancement of slavery.]
n
Alternative form of slavocrat [A ruling member of a slavocracy.]
n
(US, chiefly historical) The persons or interest representing slavery politically, or wielding political power for the preservation or advancement of slavery.
n
A ruling member of a slavocracy.
n
A government-run program meant to benefit society as a whole, with a particular view to the less economically fortunate.
n
(philosophy) Political rule by philosophers.
n
Alternative form of sovereignism [A doctrine which supports acquiring or preserving political independence of a nation or a region. It opposes federalism and approaches independentism movements.]
n
A supporter of sovereignism.
n
(informal) government by spies
n
(US politics) A type of political action committee which does not have to reveal its donors' identities, and which does not limit the amount of contributions by donors.
n
Alternative form of squattocracy [(Australia, historical) Wealthy landowners (squatters) considered as a class.]
n
Alternative form of squirearchy [The landowning gentry.]
n
(US politics, euphemistic) The ability of states to impose racist, misogynistic, and homophobic/transphobic policies without interference by the federal government.
n
(often derogatory) The belief that most or all political power should be centralized in national governments.
n
government by the state, or by political power in distinction from ecclesiastical power
n
An organization having a number of different strata within which power and influence are distributed.
n
Advocacy or partisanship in support of stratocracy.
n
A very powerful bureaucrat
n
A form of democracy in which decisions must be made by a supermajority of the whole group.
n
A policy that favours synarchy.
n
(uncountable) Rule by consensus.
n
Synonym of diarchy, especially involving alternation of offices in an allegedly democratic context.
n
An organization or system of government existing for a specific purpose.
n
(politics) An organised unit or faction within a larger political organisation.
n
(politics) Alternative form of tetrarchy: rule by four people. [(politics) A government where power is shared by four people, especially (historical) the Herodian tetrarchy established in Judea after the death of Herod and the Tetrarchy of Diocletian which ruled the Roman Empire in the years 293-313.]
n
Alternative form of thalassocracy [A state whose power derives from its naval or commercial supremacy on the seas.]
n
Nominal governance by a dead person, through posthumous holding of an official position of authority, or by popular veneration and lasting influence of a personal ideology; necrocracy.
n
A government ruled by God or a god; a theocracy.
n
Advocacy or partisanship in support of theocracy.
n
(slang) Government by a group of thugs.
n
(Aristotelianism) A form of government in which civic honor or political power increases with the amount of property one owns.
n
(idiomatic, derogatory) A country ruled by a tin-pot dictator; an autocracy, especially one ruled by someone with delusions of grandeur.
n
Alternative spelling of tin-pot dictator [An autocratic ruler with little political credibility, typically having delusions of grandeur.]
n
(rare, usually uncountable) A social, economic and/or political system in which some authority (e.g. the state or "the market") wields absolute power; totalitarianism.
adj
Of or relating to a system of government where the people have virtually no authority and the state wields absolute control of every aspect of the country, socially, financially, and politically.
n
A system of government in which the people have virtually no authority and the state wields absolute control, for example, a dictatorship.
n
(politics, neologism) political domination by banks; bankocracy.
n
A system of government ruled by a tsar.
n
(colloquial, rare) Rule by tycoons, plutocracy.
n
(colloquial, rare) plutocrat, oligarch.
n
The practice of abandoning the political party to which political office is owed, defecting while in office, committing political apostasy.
n
(rare) One who supports or practices tyranny.
n
One who supports dictatorship.
n
A preference for autocratic forms of leadership.
n
A government in which a single ruler (a tyrant) has absolute power; this system of government.
n
(politics) A situation in which a government or other authority democratically supported by a majority of its subjects makes policies or takes actions benefiting that majority, without regard for the rights or welfare of the rest of its subjects.
n
Synonym of tyranny of the majority
n
(by extension) Any person who abuses the power of position or office to treat others unjustly, cruelly, or harshly.
n
A governmental system based on a single ruler wielding absolute authority; tyranny.
n
A dysfunctional system of governance whereby no single entity can acquire enough power to make decisions and take effective charge.
n
(usually historical) One who uses, or supports the use of, the veto, especially in relation to the appointment of Catholic bishops in Ireland in the 19th century.
n
The power of the image over society.
n
(politics) The political theory that a community is best organized by the voluntary cooperation of individuals, rather than by a government, which is regarded as being coercive by nature.
n
(New Zealand politics) The act of switching parties as a member of parliament.
n
(informal) Political influence achieved by copying and distributing leaflets and similar material.
n
An atmosphere in which people claim to agree with leadership for political reasons, despite holding other opinions privately.
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