idiocracy

noun

id·​i·​oc·​ra·​cy ˌi-dē-ˈä-krə-sē How to pronounce idiocracy (audio)
plural idiocracies
1
: a society governed or populated by idiots (see idiot sense 1)
Our nation is turning into an idiocracy.— Neil deGrasse Tyson
2
: government by idiots (see idiot sense 1)
As we lurch toward idiocracy—the real thing, not the movie—we must change course.— John Kass

Examples of idiocracy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Nothing about the foolishness and outrageousness of what the movie shows us — no matter how virtuosically sliced and diced by McKay’s characteristically jittery editor, Hank Corwin — can really compete with the horrors of our real-world American idiocracy. — Tribune News Service, cleveland, 10 Dec. 2021 Which brings us to America's idiocracy in 2021. — Jeffrey Sachs, CNN, 20 July 2021

Word History

Etymology

idio- (taken as combining form of idiot) + -cracy

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of idiocracy was in 1967

Rhymes for idiocracy

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Cite this Entry

“Idiocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/idiocracy. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

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