oligarchy

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Sparta was an agrarian oligarchy whose muscle was its hoplite horde.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

Presumably Lisa’s husband, Francesco, a ruthless businessman with powerful roles in civic government amid the local oligarchy, was pleased.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2024

We need to think of oligarchs and oligarchy as being not the absence of democracy, but the presence of people who have tremendous wealth-power.

From Slate • Nov. 15, 2024

As historian Joseph J. Ellis has noted, John Adams was worried about an oligarchy of wealthy families with little virtue seizing power.

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2024

It’s not hard for me to believe that the Bureau would do bad things, because every government I’ve ever known has done bad things, even the Abnegation oligarchy, of which my father was the head.

From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth