autocracy
noun
au·toc·ra·cy
ȯ-ˈtä-krə-sē 
plural autocracies
1
: the authority or rule of an autocrat
2
: government in which one person possesses unlimited power
3
: a community or state governed by autocracy
Examples of autocracy in a Sentence
the Magna Carta is historically important because it signified the British rejection of autocracy and constituted the first formal restraining of the power of the monarch
Recent Examples on the Web
That game-changing support almost certainly won’t come from the United States, which under President Donald Trump is rapidly aligning itself with Russia and other autocracies.
—
David Axe, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
Some are pushing back against the Trump administration’s efforts to gut federal programs and fears about an autocracy in America.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 28 Feb. 2025
Ukraine’s war has become a global proxy war, pitting the advanced democracies that support Kyiv against the Eurasian autocracies that back Moscow.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
The relationship between democracy and autocracy is a spectrum, not a binary; for example, countries like Venezuela, Nicaragua, Turkey and Hungary still hold elections, but their leaders aren't held meaningfully accountable by them (or by other mechanisms like the courts).
—Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2025
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David Axe, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
Some are pushing back against the Trump administration’s efforts to gut federal programs and fears about an autocracy in America.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 28 Feb. 2025
Ukraine’s war has become a global proxy war, pitting the advanced democracies that support Kyiv against the Eurasian autocracies that back Moscow.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
The relationship between democracy and autocracy is a spectrum, not a binary; for example, countries like Venezuela, Nicaragua, Turkey and Hungary still hold elections, but their leaders aren't held meaningfully accountable by them (or by other mechanisms like the courts).
—Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autocracy
Articles Related to autocracy
Cite this Entry
“Autocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autocracy. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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autocracy
noun
au·toc·ra·cy
ȯ-ˈtäk-rə-sē
plural autocracies
: government in which one person has unlimited power
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