theocracy
Americannoun
plural
theocracies-
a form of government in which God or a deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler, the God's or deity's laws being interpreted by the ecclesiastical authorities.
-
a system of government by priests claiming a divine commission.
-
a commonwealth or state under such a form or system of government.
noun
-
government by a deity or by a priesthood
-
a community or political unit under such government
Other Word Forms
- theocrat noun
- theocratic adjective
- theocratical adjective
- theocratically adverb
Etymology
Origin of theocracy
From the Greek word theokratía, dating back to 1615–25; theo-, -cracy
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.
She added that her family was happy, but that they expected the collapse of the theocracy to take a longer time.
From Los Angeles Times
Of these culturally Muslim, rural working classes often credited with wanting a theocracy, my mother says “they just wanted someone to give them their rights. The only thing that united them was basic human needs.”
But I also don’t think it’s going to be a theocracy anymore.
From Salon
In Westwood — the epicenter of the community, where the eponymous boulevard is lined by storefronts covered in Persian script — the widespread opposition to Iran’s hard-line theocracy is hard to miss.
From Los Angeles Times
Perhaps no less important, this compendium captures both the end of the Pahlavi monarchy and the start of the theocracy that still governs Iran, granting viewers an often telling glimpse of Persian society in flux.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
