noun · 4 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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UK:/ˈɒlɪˌɡɑːki/
US:/ˈɑlɪˌɡɑɹki/
US:/ˈoʊlɪˌɡɑɹki/
UK:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:AA1 L AH0 G AA2 R K IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A government run by and for only a few, often the aristocracy, the wealthy, or their friends and associates.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
Despite the involvement of all classes of society, America's political duopoly and the importance of money to mass-market campaigning has established an oligarchy that is seldom responsive to the citizenry as a whole, when opposed to the wealthy or major interest groups.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A state ruled by such a government.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
The 1832 Reform Act aimed to transform the British oligarchy and allow Parliament to represent the interests of a broader range of the population.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Those who make up an oligarchic government.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
The modern British oligarchy—particularly during periods of Tory rule—has been called a chumocracy.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
a political system governed by a few people
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
one of his cardinal convictions was that Britain was not run as a democracy but as an oligarchy
the big cities were notoriously in the hands of the oligarchy of local businessmen
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: political system, form of government
History
Etymology
Borrowed from French oligarchie, from Late Latin oligarchia, from Ancient Greek ὀλιγαρχία (oligarkhía), from ὀλίγος (olígos, “few”) + ἀρχή (arkhḗ, “rule”). By surface analysis, oligo- (“few”) + -archy (“rule, command”).
Across languages
Translations
133 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
oligargie
— government by only a few
Albanian:
oligarki
— government by only a few
Arabic:
أُولِيغَارْكِي
(ʔūlīḡārkī)
— government by only a few
Armenian:
օլիգարխիա
(ōligarxia)
— government by only a few
Azerbaijani:
oliqarxiya
— government by only a few
Belarusian:
аліга́рхія
(alihárxija)
— government by only a few
Bulgarian:
олигархия
(oligarhija)
— government by only a few
Catalan:
oligarquia
— government by only a few
Chinese Mandarin:
寡頭政治 /寡头政治
(guǎtóu zhèngzhì)
— government by only a few
Czech:
oligarchie
— government by only a few
Danish:
oligarki
— government by only a few
Danish:
fåmandsvælde
— government by only a few
Dutch:
oligarchie
— government by only a few
Esperanto:
oligarĥio
— government by only a few
Estonian:
oligarhia
— government by only a few
Faroese:
fámannaveldi
— government by only a few
Finnish:
harvainvalta
— government by only a few
Finnish:
oligarkia
— government by only a few
French:
oligarchie
— government by only a few
Galician:
oligarquía
— government by only a few
Georgian:
ოლიგარქია
(oligarkia)
— government by only a few
German:
Oligarchie
— government by only a few
Greek:
ολιγαρχία
(oligarchía)
— government by only a few
Ancient Greek:
ὀλιγαρχία
(oligarkhía)
— government by only a few
Hebrew:
אוֹלִיגַרְכְיָה
(oligárkhya)
— government by only a few
Hindi:
अल्पतंत्र
(alpatantra)
— government by only a few
Hindi:
अल्पजनाधिपत्य
(alpajnādhipatya)
— government by only a few
Hindi:
ओलिगार्की
(oligārkī)
— government by only a few
Hungarian:
oligarchia
— government by only a few
Icelandic:
fámennisveldi
— government by only a few
Icelandic:
fámennisstjórn
— government by only a few
Icelandic:
fáveldi
— government by only a few
Ido:
oligarkio
— government by only a few
Indonesian:
oligarki
— government by only a few
Irish:
olagarcacht
— government by only a few
Italian:
oligarchia
— government by only a few
Japanese:
寡頭政治
(katō seiji)
— government by only a few
Japanese:
寡頭制
(katōsei)
— government by only a few
Kazakh:
олигархия
(oligarxiä)
— government by only a few
Korean:
과두제
(gwaduje)
— government by only a few
Kyrgyz:
олигархия
(oligarhiya)
— government by only a few
Latin:
oligarchia
— government by only a few
Latvian:
oligarhija
— government by only a few
Lithuanian:
oligarchija
— government by only a few
Macedonian:
олигархија
(oligarhija)
— government by only a few
Māori:
mana tokoiti
— government by only a few
Norwegian Bokmål:
oligarki
— government by only a few
Norwegian Bokmål:
fåmannsvelde
— government by only a few
Norwegian Nynorsk:
oligarki
— government by only a few
Norwegian Nynorsk:
fåmannsvelde
— government by only a few
Persian:
الیگارشی
(oligârši)
— government by only a few
Polish:
oligarchia
— government by only a few
Portuguese:
oligarquia
— government by only a few
Romanian:
oligarhie
— government by only a few
Russian:
олига́рхия
(oligárxija)
— government by only a few
Serbo-Croatian:
олига̀рхија
— government by only a few
Serbo-Croatian:
oligàrhija
— government by only a few
Slovak:
oligarchia
— government by only a few
Slovene:
oligarhija
— government by only a few
Spanish:
oligarquía
— government by only a few
Swedish:
oligarki
— government by only a few
Swedish:
fåmannavälde
— government by only a few
Tagalog:
untipunuan
— government by only a few
Tagalog:
oligarkiya
— government by only a few
Tajik:
олигархия
(oligarxiya)
— government by only a few
Thai:
คณาธิปไตย
(ká-naa-tí-bpà-dtai)
— government by only a few
Turkish:
oligarşi
— government by only a few
Turkmen:
oligarhiýa
— government by only a few
Ukrainian:
олігархі́я
(oliharxíja)
— government by only a few
Uzbek:
oligarxiya
— government by only a few
Yiddish:
אָליגאַרכיע
(oligarkhye)
— government by only a few
Afrikaans:
oligargie
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Armenian:
օլիգարխիա
(ōligarxia)
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Catalan:
oligarquia
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Chinese Mandarin:
寡頭 /寡头
(guǎtóu)
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Dutch:
oligarchie
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Esperanto:
oligarĥio
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Finnish:
oligarkit
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Finnish:
oligarkia
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Finnish:
valtaeliitti
— those who make up an oligarchic government
French:
oligarchie
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Georgian:
ოლიგარქია
(oligarkia)
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Georgian:
ოლიგარქები
(oligarkebi)
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Hebrew:
אוֹלִיגַרְכְיָה
(oligárkhya)
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Ido:
oligarkio
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Indonesian:
oligarki
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Irish:
olagarcacht
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Japanese:
寡頭
(katō)
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Korean:
과두
(gwadu)
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Persian:
جرگهسالاران
(jarge-salaran)
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Portuguese:
oligarquia
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Russian:
олига́рхия
(oligárxija)
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Spanish:
oligarquía
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Tagalog:
untipunuan
— those who make up an oligarchic government
Afrikaans:
oligargie
— state ruled by such a government
Armenian:
օլիգարխիա
(ōligarxia)
— state ruled by such a government
Belarusian:
аліга́рхія
(alihárxija)
— state ruled by such a government
Bulgarian:
олигархия
(oligarhija)
— state ruled by such a government
Catalan:
oligarquia
— state ruled by such a government
Czech:
oligarchie
— state ruled by such a government
Danish:
oligarki
— state ruled by such a government
Dutch:
oligarchie
— state ruled by such a government
Esperanto:
oligarĥio
— state ruled by such a government
Estonian:
oligarhia
— state ruled by such a government
Finnish:
oligarkia
— state ruled by such a government
Finnish:
harvainvalta
— state ruled by such a government
French:
oligarchie
— state ruled by such a government
Georgian:
ოლიგარქია
(oligarkia)
— state ruled by such a government
German:
Oligarchie
— state ruled by such a government
Greek:
ολιγαρχία
(oligarchía)
— state ruled by such a government
Hungarian:
oligarchia
— state ruled by such a government
Hungarian:
kiskirályság
— state ruled by such a government
Ido:
oligarkio
— state ruled by such a government
Indonesian:
oligarki
— state ruled by such a government
Irish:
olagarcacht
— state ruled by such a government
Italian:
oligarchia
— state ruled by such a government
Latvian:
oligarhija
— state ruled by such a government
Lithuanian:
oligarchija
— state ruled by such a government
Macedonian:
олигархија
(oligarhija)
— state ruled by such a government
Norwegian Bokmål:
oligarki
— state ruled by such a government
Norwegian Nynorsk:
oligarki
— state ruled by such a government
Polish:
oligarchia
— state ruled by such a government
Portuguese:
oligarquia
— state ruled by such a government
Romanian:
oligarhie
— state ruled by such a government
Russian:
олига́рхия
(oligárxija)
— state ruled by such a government
Serbo-Croatian:
олига̀рхија
— state ruled by such a government
Serbo-Croatian:
oligàrhija
— state ruled by such a government
Slovak:
oligarchia
— state ruled by such a government
Slovene:
oligarhija
— state ruled by such a government
Spanish:
oligarquía
— state ruled by such a government
Swedish:
oligarki
— state ruled by such a government
Tagalog:
untipunuan
— state ruled by such a government
Ukrainian:
олігархі́я
(oliharxíja)
— state ruled by such a government
