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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of theocracy
For Israel, Russia, the United States, and other leading powers, these revelations confirmed that the theocracy was developing the infrastructure to acquire nuclear arms and potentially transfer them to its surrogates and partners.
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Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024
Many in the region are asking: could the Islamic theocracy in Iran, reviled by its people and a cancer upon the world, be next?
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2024
For forty-five years, Tehran’s Shiite theocracy has heralded its political system as a model for all predominantly Muslim countries—and even beyond.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2024
Tehran began this process by intervening in Lebanon, which was in the throes of its long civil war when Iran became a theocracy.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for theocracy 
Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024
Many in the region are asking: could the Islamic theocracy in Iran, reviled by its people and a cancer upon the world, be next?
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2024
For forty-five years, Tehran’s Shiite theocracy has heralded its political system as a model for all predominantly Muslim countries—and even beyond.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2024
Tehran began this process by intervening in Lebanon, which was in the throes of its long civil war when Iran became a theocracy.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for theocracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for theocracy
Noun
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Softbank sold the stake in 2023 for about $3 billion to Mubadala Investment, the $300 billion sovereign wealth fund of the United Arab Emirates — making this oil rich Islamic monarchy one of Senator Justice’s most important benefactors.Christopher Helman, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
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The drama follows King Edward II’s dangerous decision to elevate his lover Gaveston to a position of power, sparking a civil war that threatens to topple the monarchy.Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The post-Cold War era of America as sole superpower has evolved into a multipolar world where the United States confronts an alliance of autocracies that believe liberal democracy is a dying political system — even as many Americans have lost faith in their institutions.Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 11 Jan. 2025
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Phil Gunson, a Venezuela analyst at the International Crisis Group said that a transition to democracy in Venezuela, depends largely on the military, the traditional powerbroker in that nation's politics.Manuel Rueda, NPR, 10 Jan. 2025
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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The Biden administration has especially pushed for this arrangement as part of broader deal with Riyadh that would also involve greater U.S. security guarantees for the kingdom and closer cooperation in various fields, including nuclear energy.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 12 Jan. 2025
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For history buffs or curious travelers alike, this makes Brixworth a unique window into a time when the country was still divided into Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.David Nikel, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
Noun
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His first movie in six years, Orphan follows a boy who discovers a dark secret about his origins in the ruins of the 1956 Hungarian uprising against the communist dictatorship.Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 1 Jan. 2025
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After all, the Carnation Revolution which overthrew four decades of Salazar’s right-wing dictatorship had happened only six years prior.Ana Leorne, SPIN, 31 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 17 Jan. 2025.
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