Table of Contents
Definitions of Oligarchy
- (noun) A type of business or government in which a small elite group holds power; government by the few.
- (noun) Any group under oligarchic control.
Oligarchy Pronunciation
Syllabification: ol·i·gar·chy
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /AHl-uh-gahr-kee/
- British English – /Ol-igah-kee/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈɑləˌɡɑrki/
- British English – /ˈɒlᵻɡɑːki/
Usage Notes
- Plural: oligarchies
- Variant spelling: oligarchie
- An (noun) oligarch presides (adverb) oligarchically over an (adjective) oligarchic or (adjective) oligarchical government.
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Additional Information
Related Terms
Works Consulted
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Cite the Definition of Oligarchy
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “oligarchy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved November 8, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/oligarchy/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
oligarchy. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/oligarchy/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “oligarchy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed November 8, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/oligarchy/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“oligarchy.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 8 Nov. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/oligarchy/>.