noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ɒkˈlɒk.ɹə.si/
General-American:/ɑkˈlɑ.kɹə.si/
General-American:/ɔkˈlɔ.kɹə.si/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Mob rule; government by the masses; mobocracy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
a political system in which a mob is the source of control; government by the masses
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: mobocracy
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: political system, form of government
History
Etymology
From Middle French ochlocratie, from Ancient Greek ὀχλοκρατία (okhlokratía), from ὄχλος (ókhlos, “multitude, crowd”) + κράτος (krátos, “power”). Equivalent to ochlo- + -cracy.
Across languages
Translations
32 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
խուժանավարություն
(xužanavarutʻyun)
— government by the masses
Armenian:
ամբոխավարություն
(amboxavarutʻyun)
— government by the masses
Catalan:
oclocràcia
— government by the masses
Chinese Mandarin:
眾愚政治 /众愚政治
(zhòngyúzhèngzhì)
— government by the masses
Chinese Mandarin:
暴民政治
(bàomínzhèngzhì)
— government by the masses
Czech:
ochlokracie
— government by the masses
Czech:
lůzovláda
— government by the masses
Dutch:
ochlocratie
— government by the masses
Esperanto:
oĥlokratio
— government by the masses
Esperanto:
amasrego
— government by the masses
Esperanto:
tumultrego
— government by the masses
Finnish:
alhaisovalta
— government by the masses
French:
ochlocratie
— government by the masses
German:
Ochlokratie
— government by the masses
German:
Pöbelherrschaft
— government by the masses
Greek:
οχλοκρατία
(ochlokratía)
— government by the masses
Icelandic:
skrílræði
— government by the masses
Indonesian:
oklokrasi
— government by the masses
Italian:
oclocrazia
— government by the masses
Japanese:
衆愚政治
(shūguseiji)
— government by the masses
Japanese:
暴民政治
— government by the masses
Kazakh:
охлократия
(oxlokratiä)
— government by the masses
Korean:
중우정치
(jung'ujeongchi)
— government by the masses
Polish:
ochlokracja
— government by the masses
Portuguese:
oclocracia
— government by the masses
Romanian:
oclocrație
— government by the masses
Russian:
охлокра́тия
(oxlokrátija)
— government by the masses
Spanish:
oclocracia
— government by the masses
Swedish:
oklokrati
— government by the masses
Thai:
กฎหมู่
— government by the masses
Ukrainian:
охлокра́тія
(oxlokrátija)
— government by the masses
