autocracy

CEFRC2

/ɔːˈtɒkɹəsi/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A system of government in which one person has complete power.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    An instance of this government.

Examples

  • Down with the police! Down with autocracy!

  • I want to be clear: This shift toward democracy and away from autocracy is no reason to break out the “mission accomplished” banner.

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
3
Parts of speech
1
Citations
3
Synonyms
4

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meaning

  1. A form of government in which unlimited power is held by a single individual.

More examples

In context

  • The will of the people of Ukraine to defend their democracy is a reminder that autocracies cannot ultimately overcome free people willing to defend their liberty.

  • Among those who study authoritarian regimes, a consensus has emerged that [US president Donald Trump's] early moves display common characteristics of burgeoning autocracies.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Under the ruler's blank, citizens had no voting rights whatsoever.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From auto- + -cracy, from Ancient Greek αὐτοκρατία (autokratía, “A system of government by one person with absolute power.”), from αὐτός (autós, “single, self, same, alone”) + κράτος (krátos, “power”) + -ία (-ía, “feminine abstract nouns suffix”); see also Ancient Greek αὐτοκρατής (autokratḗs, “one who governs alone”).