theocracy

Definitions of Theocracy

(noun) An authority, typically a government, ruled by or subject to a deity or its representative officials who are viewed as divinely guided.

Theocracy Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: the·oc·ra·cy

Audio Pronunciation

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /θiˈɑkrəsi/
• British English – /θiːˈɒkrəsi/

Usage Notes

• Plural: theocracies
• A theocracy often has an ecclesia.
• Also called a thearchy.
• A (noun) theocrat (adverb) theocratically participates in a (adjective) theocratic or (adjective) theocratical government.

Additional Information

• Word origin of “theocracy” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com

Related Terms

• absolute monarchy
• authority
• constitutional monarchy
• democracy
• dictatorship
• government
• leader
• oligarchy
• power
• State

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Works Consulted

Collins English Dictionary: Complete and Unabridged. 6th ed. 2003. Glasgow, Scotland: Collins.

Encyclopædia Britannica. (N.d.) Britannica Digital Learning. (https://britannicalearn.com/).

Farlex. (N.d.) TheFreeDictionary.com: Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus. Farlex. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/).

Ferrante, Joan. 2011a. Seeing Sociology: An Introduction. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Ferrante, Joan. 2011b. Sociology: A Global Perspective. 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Princeton University. 2010. WordNet. (https://wordnet.princeton.edu/).

Random House Webster’s College Dictionary. 1997. New York: Random House.

Ravelli, Bruce, and Michelle Webber. 2016. Exploring Sociology: A Canadian Perspective. 3rd ed. Toronto: Pearson.

Cite the Definition of Theocracy

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “theocracy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 20, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/theocracy/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

theocracy. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/theocracy/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “theocracy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/theocracy/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“theocracy.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/theocracy/>.