1
as in monarchy
a system of government in which a religious body holds unlimited power
Under a theocracy, an entire nation officially follows one religion.
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2
as in democracy
a group of people who live in a territory ruled by a religious body
The country was a theocracy governed by religious leaders.
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Recent Examples of theocracy
After the Islamic revolution ended the Shah’s reign and ushered in the theocracy of Ayatollah Khomeini, Roya’s Baba was in and out of Evin Prison, the infamous jail where political prisoners were incarcerated, tortured, killed.
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Lisa Kennedy, The Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2024
After the 1979 Revolution, the young theocracy banned neckties as a symbol of Western, notably U.S., influence.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2024
The theocracy has been the Palestinian terror group’s biggest backer for decades, funneling money, military material and know-how.
—Nic Robertson, CNN, 7 Oct. 2024
The incendiary rapper spoke out fearlessly against Iran’s dictatorial theocracy through his music.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for theocracy 
Lisa Kennedy, The Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2024
After the 1979 Revolution, the young theocracy banned neckties as a symbol of Western, notably U.S., influence.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2024
The theocracy has been the Palestinian terror group’s biggest backer for decades, funneling money, military material and know-how.
—Nic Robertson, CNN, 7 Oct. 2024
The incendiary rapper spoke out fearlessly against Iran’s dictatorial theocracy through his music.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for theocracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for theocracy
Noun
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After 11 years of republican rule, the restoration of the monarchy meant more than just the public display of Oliver Cromwell’s exhumed and severed head outside of Westminster.Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Dec. 2024
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Whether that was the society of her village or the monarchy, or the post-revolution, post-1952, Egypt.Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 29 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Matthew Zweig, a sanctions expert at the lobbying arm of the think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, pointed to another question related to Captagon that may have also ultimately contributed to Assad's downfall.Desiree Adib, ABC News, 12 Dec. 2024
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Philly, the cradle of democracy, shares cultural and political identities with both regions.Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
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But a slave mentality remains deeply ingrained in Russian minds, along with a latent monarchism and paternalism.Nikita Petrov, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2017
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But for anyone outside the British elite, the constitutional monarchism that emerged after the civil wars did not look much like democracy or true liberty.Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Aug. 2024
Noun
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With the kingdom heavily reliant on migrant labor to build its World Cup infrastructure, international rights organizations are warning that the lessons from Qatar's 2022 World Cup have not been learned.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
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All seems well as Helm convenes a meeting of Rohan’s great houses meant to map out a plan for the kingdom’s future.Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Older generations lived under the violent military dictatorships of the nineteen-sixties, seventies, and eighties, and young people are aware of this legacy.E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
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Of 5,000 people held at the school during the dictatorship, fewer than 250 survived.Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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That year was in the middle of the Interregnum, a period when Britain was a republic without a king.Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024
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There are various plots to overthrow the emperors and either wrest control and put the empire in the hands of a single man or return Rome to its days as a republic.Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 20 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Theocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/theocracy. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
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