Well-read · Politics & society
Autocracy: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Autocracy noun. Government by one person who holds unlimited power.
How to say it
aw-TOK-ruh-see/ɔːˈtɒkrəsi/
4 syllables, stressed on the second (TOK). Forms: autocracies, autocrat, autocratic.
Autocracy in a sentence
The country slid into autocracy one emergency decree at a time.
Staff joked that the office ran as a benign autocracy under its founder.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- dictatorship
- despotism
- tyranny
- absolutism
Opposite:
- democracy
Where autocracy comes from
From Greek autokrateia, from autos, self, and kratos, power.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Staff joked that the office ran as a benign _____ under its founder.
- electorate
- autocracy
- hegemony
Show the answer
autocracy: Staff joked that the office ran as a benign autocracy under its founder.