theocracy

[ thee-ok-ruh-see ]

noun

, plural the·oc·ra·cies.

1. 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.
2. a system of government by priests claiming a divine commission.
3. a commonwealth or state under such a form or system of government.

theocracy

/ θɪˈɒkrəsɪ /

noun

1. government by a deity or by a priesthood
2. a community or political unit under such government

theocracy

1. A nation or state in which the clergy exercise political power and in which religious law is dominant over civil law. Iran led by the Ayatollah Khomeini was a theocracy under the Islamic clergy. ( See Islam .)

Derived Forms

• ˈtheoˌcrat, noun
• ˌtheoˈcratically, adverb
• ˌtheoˈcratic, adjective

Other Words From

• the·o·crat·ic [thee-, uh, -, krat, -ik], the·o·crat·i·cal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of theocracy¹

From the Greek word theokratía, dating back to 1615–25; theo-, -cracy

Example Sentences

The United States will be pushed toward a White “Christian” theocracy.

From Salon

Or will she find herself in a plutocratic theocracy ruled by ignorance and led by weak men who claim to be strong?

From Salon

He’s the conflicted architect of a militarized theocracy that took root in America after a second civil war where the Constitution did not prevail.

From Los Angeles Times

She reiterated that the nation's founders "never intended for this country to be a theocracy."

From Salon

Unlike earlier incarnations of the Christian right, the explicit goal of the widely-discussed but little-understood NAR is to install theocracy with a democratic facade, approximately on the Iranian model.

From Salon

Related Words

• church-state
• hierocracy